10 Innovative Methods to Arrange Your Shot Glass Collection

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Shot glasses may be the smallest item in your home bar, but they tend to multiply quickly. The history of the shot and the shot glass is a bit fuzzy, but one thing that’s clear is that shot glasses today have certainly transcended their simple purpose. These days they come in all sorts of fun and crazy designs, acting as great souvenirs, irresistibly funny gifts, and practical bar essentials when you’re into celebrating a good time in style. In short, if you’re not into making edible Bloody Mary pickle shot glasses or bite-sized shot glasses made from marshmallows that disappear after each use, it can be quite easy to accumulate an entire collection. If you have a whole bunch carelessly stuffed in a drawer in your kitchen, trust us, you’re not alone.

There are many ways to repurpose your shot glasses in various creative projects. From using them as candle holders to storing other random household items, the possibilities are truly endless. These organizational methods unfortunately may put your shot glass out of commission for its true, intended use, though. If you want to keep them in useful rotation in your house, it is better to commit to a functional way to store them. Whether you’re looking for a way to keep them safely organized and packed away in your hall closet or nicely on display in the middle of the kitchen, we’ve explored 10 creative ways to organize your shot glasses.

If you’ve amassed an extensive shot glass collection you’d prefer to keep out of sight and mind, consider organizing them using a silverware drawer tray. Designed to separate and organize small items, these trays offer a surprisingly effective way to store shot glasses safely and efficiently. Organizing shot glasses horizontally might not be an obvious choice because they tend to roll around and easily break. With the silverware tray, though, these glasses can be safely tucked away without risk of sliding and breaking.

To use this tool, simply stack your shot glasses and place them in the tray’s divided sections. The compartments help keep everything in place and even allow you to sort your collection by color, travel destination, or whatever other theme your shot glass collection may contain. For extra organization, consider also labeling each section so you can find exactly what you’re looking for with a quick glance.

Silverware drawer trays are affordable on Amazon. We like the Pipishell Bamboo Organizer because it’s expandable for all large shot glass collection needs. Even better (if you’re lucky), you may already have an extra one somewhere in your kitchen or garage just waiting to be repurposed.

While arranging your shot glasses in a silverware organizer is a great way to store a large number of them, it may not be the most accessible method, especially if you use them frequently. If you’re looking for a more functional trick, consider utilizing a lazy Susan, the old-fashioned but endlessly useful kitchen storage hack, instead. This classic kitchen gadget offers 360-degree, easy access, making it effortless to grab the shot glass you need without digging through a pile. It is also visually appealing, allowing you the option to keep it hidden away in your cabinet or on display on your countertop if you’re feeling bold.

When storing shot glasses on a spinning object, it is essential to keep them secure. We love this two-tier lazy Susan from Amazon not only because it provides two platforms worth of storage, but also because it features high ridges around each tier to help prevent spills or breakage. Keep in mind, though, that even with this great option, there’s a limit to how many shot glasses you can store, especially if you’re hoping to have relatively easy access to them.

You don’t necessarily need a lazy Susan to capture all the benefits of having a rotating organizer. There’s probably many things you didn’t know your Keurig could do, and the same goes for a rotating Keurig cup organizer. These holders, designed to hold Keurig K-cups that coincidentally are almost the exact same size as a shot glass, are perfect for holding and displaying more select shot glass collections.

Because of their specific designs, Keurig cup organizers unfortunately carry a few limitations. You can’t stuff an infinite number of shot glasses onto them since these organizers have designated spaces. They also don’t allow room for those extra fun but slightly clunkier shot glasses that feature part of their design on the outside. However, if you only have a couple generic glasses or a select few you consider worthy of displaying, the Keurig cup organization method might be perfect for you. If a Keurig cup holder is something you don’t already own, we love this Nifty Solutions 35-slot version from Amazon.

If you’ve ever been to a nail salon, you’ve probably seen a floating wall organizer displaying rows upon rows of nail polish colors. Unless you’re a nail enthusiast, though, you likely never imagined owning one yourself. That is, until now. Surprisingly, these nail polish racks make for a creative and space-efficient way to organize a large shot glass collection.

Perfectly sized to store your standard shot glass and designed with a protective ridge to help protect your belongings from sliding off, these racks are ideal for displaying a large number of glasses in an organized and visually appealing way. You can even get creative in how you go about arranging your collection. Consider emulating the nail salon by organizing your shot glasses perfectly by color, or instead, dedicate each row to a specific theme or location. The options are endless. Nail polish racks come in a variety of sizes and colors, but we love this affordable, 15-inch option from Amazon.

If you’re someone that brings home a souvenir shot glass every time you go on vacation, this creative organization hack is for you. Consider investing in a fun map and shot glass display case. These display cases come in a variety of sizes, but they typically hold between 40 and 75 shot glasses — perfect for a larger collection. Crafted from elegant dark wood, the cases feature compartments sized for standard shot glasses, as well as slightly larger ones, which is ideal if your collection includes a mix of glass types. All of these compartments frame a beautiful map illustration that makes for a complete display. Even though it’s a little bit more expensive than other shot glass organization hacks, this method is worth it because it works to show off your shot glasses in a fun and meaningful way.

There are a variety of map display cases available, and you can pick out your favorite one based on where you tend to travel. We like this jumbo, rustic, wooden one from Amazon, which is perfect for people who have traveled and collected glasses from around the United States.

One common problem with storing shot glasses safely is that they can easily slide around and break. Consider learning from another common collectible item: the golf ball. Just like shot glasses, golf balls are small, round, and need to be stored in a way that prevents rolling and damage. Golf ball organizers use tees that hold golf balls in place, but when shot glasses are placed upside-down, the rim of the glass fits snugly around each tee, keeping them stable and secure. By creatively repurposing a golf ball organizer, you can have a unique and visually striking way to showcase your shot glass collection.

Golf ball display cases come in a variety of designs, sizes, and materials, so you can choose one that best addresses your needs. Many can be mounted on the wall, allowing you to transform your shot glass collection into a statement piece. While this method doesn’t offer the easiest access, it does allow for occasional use and can open up easily when needed. This is the perfect hack for when you’re looking for a creative and elevated way to organize your collection. We love this mahogany wood case from Amazon that has the capacity to hold up to 63 golf balls (or shot glasses).

One creative but more understated way to keep your shot glasses on display is by repurposing a spice rack. Spice racks are designed to keep a large quantity of small containers neat and accessible, which translates well to organizing a shot glass collection. The perfect spice rack design for this task is a tiered organizer that allows each glass to be on full display. By elevating each glass, you get the perfect balance of visibility and reach, making it easy to grab the one you want without digging through a crowded shelf. A repurposed spice rack can be tucked neatly inside a cabinet for organized storage or placed on your countertop for a minimalist, more accessible display.

One downside to using a spice rack to store your shot glasses is that they don’t typically have built-in barriers to prevent slipping. So when deciding what to look for in your next spice rack, consider this three-tier organizer from Amazon that features a non-skid surface to help keep your glasses securely in place.

Wine totes are designed to keep and carry multiple wine bottles around safely and securely so they don’t clang around. While shot glasses are obviously much smaller than their wine bottle counterparts, this design lends itself well to organizing and storing large quantities of them. This method is great if you’re looking to just stick your shot glasses safely away in the closet for another time.

Like in the silverware tray method, use this hack by stacking your shot glasses on top of each other in columns the height of your wine bag. For extra protection, you can also place a small square of dry paper towel in between each glass so that they don’t rattle around. You can organize your shot glass towers according to the categories they belong to, and simply insert a piece of paper in each compartment to easily identify them. Simple but resourceful, it is a much more secure method than sticking your shot glasses in a box in the closet. We love this reusable wine tote from Amazon, which can hold six stacks of shot glasses.

One unlikely candidate for organizing and displaying your select shot glasses is a coat rack. To use this organization hack, all you need to do is find the perfect mounted coat rack, flip your shot glasses upside down, and hang them on the rungs. A coat rack only has space to hold a couple of glasses, but if you choose your favorites, this creative method makes them fun and easily accessible. Your next guests will be able to just grab one off the hook when they need it and easily replace it when the night is done. If you’re looking for a fun DIY project, you can even customize it so that it has a fun, playful message like “have a shot!” Because it is so informal, it’s perfect for your home bar or man cave.

This method is ideal if you already have a good mounted coat rack hanging around. It’s important to choose the right one, though, so that your shot glasses don’t accidentally slide off. In case you don’t have the perfect fit, take a look at this WEBI five-peg rail from Amazon that also comes in other sizes and has a design to hold your shot glasses perfectly.

Save yourself the extra step of rummaging through a cabinet or drawer, and keep your shot glasses close to where their intended use is. One creative and ideal place to store your shot glasses is on the liquor bottles themselves. Prepared for the next popular cocktail, your shot glass is ready to go! Simply flip your shot glass upside-down, rest it securely on the cap of a liquor bottle, and enjoy the fact that you have a shot glass ready for use whenever you want it.

Depending on how many liquor bottles you have at a given time, you’re probably only going to be able to store a select number of shot glasses using this method. But pick your favorites, and for the rest of your collection, mix and match this method with another on the list to get the most use out of all your shot glasses.