Bombay Sapphire Martini Glass Design Competition



few hundred people congregated recently in a nightclub, or more specifically, a space that will eventually be a nightclub. Presently, the space is in construction mode; raw, woody and beautiful. These people have come here by invitation only to gloss over what appears to be a glass cylinder, with an inverted dip within.

Small, demanding and proud it sits, displayed under the spotlight on own little platform. It could easily have been a crystal hockey puck. Or perhaps a new age table ornament.

But the glass cylinder that has drawn these people here tonight - this club, so much in its infancy, it still has no name - is a martini glass. An award-winning martini glass that will represent Canada in Milan at the Bombay Sapphire Martini Glass Design Competition, a sort of martini glass Olympics. Four finalists were flown in from across the country to join internally acclaimed designer Karim Rashid and judges Sarah Deeks, Andrew Jones, Roy Banse, and Kelly Rude.

Bombay Sapphire has been organizing the Martini Glass Design Competition globally as part of its commitment to promote design and art. The challenge was for the students to design their version of the martini glass by expressing uniqueness and elegance to enhance the overall glass design.

Initial judging whittled a record-breaking 150 Canadian submissions down to a dozen glass designs. Next step was to short list those entries to four potential winners. At this point local glass artist, Catherine Hibbits, reproduced the glasses from the submitted design ideas (in past years, students were required to produce the glasses themselves).

The real model was then judged on how each student differentiated their glass and addressed the target consumer's needs on a glass we have become so familiar with. Judging criteria included originality of the design and creativity as well as creativeness, and usability.

And in the end, the martini glass everyone has come to gloss over is a design named ‘Imbibe,’ by Jasmine Chin, (Emily Carr Institute, Vancouver, BC). Chin’s whimsically shaped interpretation is more of an un-design of the martini glass, virtually eliminating the stem and stand, and hiding the ‘glass’ inside the cylinder.

“My cocktail glass represents the harmonic coexistence of masculine and feminine, says Chin. “The glass form is refined with a distinct reference to both old fashioned glasses and martini glasses. Merging forms is my way of honoring the history, tradition and diversity while offering a fresh, contemporary aesthetic that has the ability to become classic.”

The Imbibe was one of the simplest glass designs submited, yet it comes off as very sleek. Container-like, with a hollowed cone within to hold the liquid. Slick, and so bottom-heavy there’s no worry of knocking over this baby.

It’s a drastic departure from the standard martini glass. We’ve grown attached to the glass with the long stem, it’s part of whole martini drinking experience. It requires attention. You cannot aimlessly reach for your glass at a cocktail party - you must at least partially focus your attention in order to grasp the stem, otherwise risk knocking the whole thing over. And that’s not part of the martini drinking experience either.
When you do have the glass in your hands, the stem continues to remind you that the liquid in the bowl is not meant to be gulped down like beer or water. Just a sweet sip at a time. You cannot accidentally shoot the whole thing back, respect for the glass won’t let you.

This is what Jenna Anderson, (York University, Toronto, ON) had in mind when she submitted her runner-up winner, “Splash!”. Basically a standard martini glass, but a bit arched like a daiquiri glass, with a splash of blue tinting within the glass. And a physical glass ‘drop of water’ bulging up from the inside of the glass.

In the end, it was that ‘drop of water’ that did it in: What if it broke loose when ice was poured in? The glass was clearly a looker, but the fear of a fragile glass ornament breaking off in a martini tends to make people nervous.

As for fragile, ‘Martini Time’, the drop-dead beautiful submission by Ashleigh Phillips, (University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB) is a concept of a double vessel glass, where half acts as a drinking glass to hold liquid, and the other is the base. Housed within the centre of the two is an hourglass which purs out silvery sand as the glass is reversed, from top to bottom. The point at which the sand spills though, however, was so extremely thin and fragile, judges couldn’t see the glass lasting a night.

‘Double Jig’ by Joel Yatscoff, (University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB) was another runner up, producing a glass, with separate parts creating a base and cup. This way, the base remains on the table while the user drinks from the cup. A chrome ball bearing keeps the glass cups perfectly centered on and secure when together.

It’s always been fun to pair art with functionality, just as it has been to drool over the celebrity-designed martini glasses in magazine ads. The martini glass has always been part of the martini drinking ritual. It’s 5oz (or less) size limits the amount the amount held. This is why we do not drink beer or water out of martini glasses. For that we need volume. So, why then the need for a redesign of the martini glass? Why, when one of the most instantly recognizable design elements on the planet is soaking in its re-discovered glory, and really it is that glass that spotlights the glory: How many of the new martini/cocktail concoctions are served on the rocks, in rocks glasses?

I have a friend who was a regular at certain downtown restaurant. Not that she especially cared for the food, or even being there. But this spot had the most original martini glasses in town - tall 5oz’ers, with candy-like tabs dotting the exterior. After each visit the restaurant was short one more glass, until her collection was built.
“The martini glass is about 70% of the martini drinking experience,” say Sarah Deeks, Brand Manager for Bacardi Canada. “The martini glass is a design icon, but shouldn’t overshowcase the martini itself. As for the Imbibe, I think its a very balanced design, and a great entry to represent Canada.”

For months, Alfred Hitchcock mulled over the perfect martini glass to place in Tippi Hedrin’s well-manicured hands, for his movie The Birds. After seeing the Goran Hongell martini glasses at the Ritz Bar in London, he realized this was the only glass to place in her hand. Ever since, historians have been analyzing the visual appeal of Hedrin balancing that martini glass and cigarette with fun-loving proficiency.

One has difficulty in visualizing the scene with any of the striking martini glasses that have been commissioned for full page ad spreads by such notable designers as Karim Rashid, Michael Graves, Milton Glaser, Dakota Jackson. Or any of the celebrity glasses in the Bombay Sapphire ads.

Those glasses were created for “wow” appeal, and they truly look like super-models in the ads in glossy magazines. Meanwhile, Imbibe and its creator are soon off to Milan, Italy to join students from across the globe to compete in the martini glass design competition on April 15th. - D.E.