Should You Serve Cocktails In Plastic Cups?

We all love a good cocktail, but buying them at a bar or restaurant can get expensive quickly. Because of this, more and more people are filling their liquor cabinets and learning how to make the drinks themselves. If you're hosting a party and are eager to show off your newly acquired bartending skills, you might be wondering if you can serve those cocktails in plastic cups. After all, not everyone has an abundance of glassware — especially if you're just beginning to build up your home bar — and plastic cups are certainly safer to use in a party environment.

Here's what you need to know about serving cocktails in plastic cups: it can change the flavor of the drink and, thus, affect the experience of the cocktail. However, sometimes serving it in the correct glass isn't worth the inconvenience of having to do all of those dishes. But if you're determined to stick with the plastic cups, then there are some cocktails that are better suited for non-glass containers — here are the cocktails you should keep in mind.

One of the most well-known cocktails out there is the old fashioned — a rye whiskey-based drink with bitters and sugar — and it's also perfect for a plastic cup. It can be made right in the vessel (no cocktail shaker needed!), but you will likely need a muddler, which comes with any basic cocktail-making set. For something less black-tie and more no-tie, you could go with a classic margarita, although, unless you're using a blender, this does require the use of a cocktail shaker. Either way, the simple yet delicious drink will work nearly as well in a plastic cup as in a fancy margarita glass. 

Further, any soda- or tonic-based drink is a good way to go, such as a vodka soda or a gin and tonic, or even a Jack and Coke. Not only are these dead easy to make since the ingredients are in the name, but with such simple concoctions, it becomes less likely that the flavors will be altered by the fact that they aren't in the "right" cup.

If you're less worried about the taste and more worried about the look of your cocktails, then there are actually plastic versions of most cocktail glasses that you can buy, such as plastic margarita glasses, plastic martini glasses, and more.