My Kitchen Problem: Where Do I Store My Cocktail Coupes?

I’ve been wanting coupe glasses for ages, and I’ve searched high and low for the ones that I consider to be the perfect coupe. I’ve examined every one I’ve come across and rejected plenty of them for being too small, too heavy, not heavy enough, too tall-stemmed, too decorative, or just not perfect.

But I’m happy to report I’ve finally found my ideal coupe. It’s the 7.5 ounce Leopold coupe from Cocktail Kingdom — my favorite barware resource here in New York City. But now that I’ve found my perfect glass, and purchased a set of six, I’m faced with figuring out where to store them.

I’m in a

rental kitchen

I installed these floating shelves from IKEA when I first moved into my apartment back in 2010. They’ve always held cookbooks, and have also housed glassware, serving dishes, cooking oils, and the occasional plant.

Pro: We already store our wine glasses here, so the coupes would fit right in. Plus, we generally make cocktails and pour wine in the kitchen. It would be nice to have them close at hand.

Con: In order to keep the coupes here, we’d have to rearrange a few of the other things that are normally on this shelf. Things which we use every couple of days, if not daily. Since the coupes aren’t going to be an everyday item (unless I seriously class up my morning glass of orange juice), I’m hesitant to give up such prime kitchen real estate.

Our apartment has an extra little room between the kitchen and the living room. It acts more like a hallway right now, except for the fact that it currently also is home to our bar. It’s a large counter-style cart, so it also houses the Sodastream and Hurom Juicer.

Pro: There’s no time like the present to start making cocktails at the bar instead of in the kitchen. So why not have the glassware right there to mix and pour with ease.

Con: Did I mention we use this room more like a hallway? I’m really worried about the coupes breaking if they are stored here. There isn’t much of a safety net if we keep them on top, and there isn’t a lot of room on the shelves on the bottom.

Also in our extra room we have a hutch-style piece of furniture in a lovely shade of jade green. Right now it keeps a lot of odds and ends that we’ve collected over the years. A cheeseboard, a ceramic pitcher, all of our myriad ramekins, and the dishes I’ve accumulated for photographing ice cream.

Pro: To me, this is the space that makes the most sense. It already houses all of our occasionally used dishes and serving pieces. It is halfway between the bar and the kitchen, making it equally convenient/inconvenient to each location, and it will protect the glasses from accidentally breaking.

Con: The hutch is already so full! Yes, we can probably reshuffle things to accommodate the coupes, which sadly can’t be stacked together, but the fuller it gets, the more difficult it will be to get each piece when we need it.

What’s your suggestion? Where should I store my fancy new coupes?