Why Is It Called a Snifter

1844, “a drink of liquor,” earlier “a sniff,” from a Scottish and northern English survival of an obsolete verb snift meaning “to sniff, snivel” (mid-14c.), of imitative origin (compare sniff (v.)).

Why is a brandy glass called a snifter?

Aptly coined for this short-stemmed and plump glass, the term snifter came from an obsolete Scottish and northern English word snift, which means “to sniff or snivel.” The long list of monikers for brandy glass also includes brandy bowl, cognac glass, balloon, and brandy snifter.

What do you drink out of a snifter?

A snifter (also called brandy snifter, brandy glass, brandy bowl, or a cognac glass) is a type of stemware, a short-stemmed glass whose vessel has a wide bottom and a relatively narrow top. It is mostly used to serve aged brown liquors such as bourbon, brandy, and whisky.