Wine Enthusiast Interviews Dianne O'Connor on the Cordial Glass
March 2025
Wine Enthusiast: The Tiny Cordial Glass Is Designed to Serve ‘Just Enough of Something Special’
"Dainty and elegantly designed, the cordial glass is the darling of the bar cabinet, one whose diminutive stature belies its impact as a vessel imbued with history, aesthetics and ceremonial flair.
"Once ubiquitous, the tiny stemware fell out of favor as more versatile, universal glassware took hold. But bartenders and home cocktailians have recently been rediscovering this twee tipple holder.
"'There’s just something intoxicating about the cordial glass,' according to Dianne O’Connor, founder and CEO of Weston Table, an online homeware marketplace. 'Its restrained size yet appealing presence has renewed its reputation.'
The Cordial Glass’s Disappearing Act — and Reemergence
"As O’Connor explains, the cordial glass has its roots in the digestif culture of fifteenth-century Europe, when fortified wines, brandies, liqueurs and spirits were infused with fruits, herbs and spices to sip after dinner.
“'The petite size of the glass was originally purported to serve ultra-concentrated alcohol that would aid in digestion following an evening of feasting,' she says. The glass itself was created in the 1700s, became fashionable with European nobility in the nineteenth century and eventually found its way across the pond."
