Gin Balloon Glass Gin Tonic 660ml, Luxion Crystal (Pack of 6)

For bars working with botanical gins and built garnishes. The balloon exists for a precise reason: the wide bowl gathers the aromas released by the gin and the garnish, and the slightly narrower mouth channels them towards the nose with every sip. On a spirit built on juniper, citrus and spice, aroma is half the drink, and in a tall tumbler it drifts away.

This is the thing to know before buying, and it is the exact reverse of what holds for tumblers. A wide bowl gathers the aromas and keeps them for the nose, but it also exposes a large surface to the air, so it lets the carbon dioxide go faster: a gin and tonic in a balloon smells more and fizzes less than one served in a tall, narrow glass. There is no absolute right answer, there is a choice: bars pouring gins with character choose the balloon, bars serving a simple gin and tonic for its liveliness stay with the tumbler. Plenty of ice and cold tonic reduce the loss.

• Capacity: 660ml
• Type: gin and tonic balloon
• Shape: balloon, wide bowl
• Pack quantity: 6
• Material: Luxion ecological crystal, lead-free
• Dishwasher safe: yes

Choose the Gin Tonic 660ml if

You work with botanical gins and built garnishes. If gin and tonic is a simple line on the menu and you care about the liveliness of the tonic, a tall tumbler holds it much better. The bowl works the same way on any garnished botanical drink, an Americano or a spritz included.

How to build a gin and tonic in a balloon

Ice to the rim first of all, because a wide bowl warms up quickly with too little ice. Then the gin, poured over the ice, then the tonic, run down a bar spoon or the side of the glass so the bubbles break no more than necessary. Choose the garnish on the botanicals of the gin and set it so it sits on the ice rather than drowning: a balloon has room for a wide peel, a sprig or a whole spice, and that room is what justifies the shape.

The garnish does half the work here

In a balloon the space above the ice has a precise job: holding a built garnish. A wide citrus peel expressed over the surface, juniper berries, a sprig of rosemary, a slice of grapefruit: they release essential oils into the air inside the bowl, and the glass keeps them for the nose at every sip. In a tall tumbler the same garnish gives aroma for the first thirty seconds and then fades.

Care

Dishwasher safe without clouding. A 660ml bowl takes up room in the rack and needs a row of its own: spaced so no two balloons touch during the cycle, the rims stay clean and whole. Dry with care, because the wide surface shows water marks.

FAQ

Does the balloon lose the bubbles? Yes, more than a tumbler: it is the trade-off accepted to gain the aroma.

How much ice goes in? To the rim, before the gin: the wide bowl warms up quickly with too little ice.

Does it contain lead? No, it is lead-free ecological crystal.

Is 660ml not too much? The actual liquid is far less: half the volume is ice.

The more you buy, the less you pay: 4 packs -5%, 6 -7%, 8 -10%, on the same item.

Dispatched from Rome, Italy. 15-day returns, free of charge. Questions before you order? Message us on WhatsApp on +39 351 929 6937.

To compare balloon, aperitivo glass and stemmed cocktail glass, see the stemmed cocktail glass guide.