Short Glasses more likely to lead to over-indulgance

[strohs]

Note to self, ask for short glass next time

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-12/bmj-sgm122105.php

Public release date: 22-Dec-2005
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Contact: Emma Dickinson
edickinson@bmj.com
44-207-383-6529
BMJ-British Medical Journal
Short glasses more likely to lead to over-indulgence

Shape of glass and amount of alcohol poured: Comparative study of effect of practice and concentration; BMJ Volume 331 pp 1512-4

People pour 20-30% more alcohol into short, wide glasses than into tall, narrow ones of the same volume, but they wrongly believe that tall glasses hold more, finds a study in this week's BMJ. Even professional bartenders pour more into short, wide "tumblers" than into "highball" glasses, suggesting that experience of pouring alcohol has little effect.
The study involved 198 college students and 86 bartenders from a large city in the United States.
After several practice pours, half the students were given tall, slender 355 ml glasses and half were given short, wide 355 ml glasses. They were then asked to pour a standard "shot" of alcohol (1.5 ounces, 44.3 ml) for four mixed drinks (vodka tonic, rum and Coke, whiskey on the rocks, and gin and tonic).
Each bartender was also asked to pour the same four drinks, either with no instructions or after being told to take their time.
Both students and bartenders poured more into short, wide glasses than into tall, slender glasses. Among students, practice reduced the tendency to overpour into tall glasses, but not into short, wide glasses. Most students also believed that the tall glasses held more.
Despite an average of six years of experience, bartenders poured 20.5% more into short, wide glasses than tall, slender ones. Paying careful attention reduced but did not eliminate the effect.
These findings suggest that alcohol consumption studies should include questions about the shape of the glass, say the authors.
To avoid overpouring, they suggest using tall, narrow glasses or ones on which the alcohol level is marked. And to realise that when alcoholic drinks are served in a short, wide glass, two drinks are actually equal to two and a half.
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[scarletandgrey]

Now that's some useful knowledge.....

[Golferdow01]

Nice work Strohs...you really live up to your name

[sandgk]

Should we make sure those 31-hour long revelers in Scotland get enough shot glasses?

[SanAntonioBuck]

You da man, Strohs!

[NewYorkBuck]

There is something intrinsic about this w human beings. If you take young children show them a short fat glass with water in it, then pour it in a tall thin glass and they both go to the rim, universally the kids will say the tall glass holds more.