Appearances are important!
Garnishes
are terrific for making good drinks look even better. That said, a good
garnish won't save a bad drink! Like juices, you need to keep your garnishes
fresh -- sliced citrus fruit lasts no more than 24 hours. There are no
hard and fast rules for garnishing drinks, but it is sensible to try to
use relevant garnishes: tropical fruits for a tropical cocktail, for instance.
Basically, keep them simple, logical, and fresh.
POPULAR GARNISHES
HOW TO CREATE
• a TWIST
• a WEDGE
• a WHEEL
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Lemons
When life gives you lemons…make
lemon garnishes! Cut off the ends of the lemon and then slice the fruit
into 6 or 8 wedges, preferably with a slit in the middle so you can place
the garnish on, not in, the glass. Wedges not only look nice – they're
functional too: by squeezing the wedges, guests can easily add extra lemon
to their drink without getting their hands covered in juice or pulp.
Limes
In terms of garnishing, limes are
just like lemons: slightly smaller of course, but just as much fun! Cut
off the ends of the lime and then slice the fruit into 6 or 8 wedges,
preferably with a slit in the middle so you can place the garnish on,
not in, the glass.
Wedges have the added benefit of being user-friendly: by squeezing the
wedges, guests can easily add extra lime to their drink without getting
their hands covered in juice or pulp. Cherries
Simple yet sexy. Make sure you choose
the fresh red maraschino cherries with stalks. Spearing them onto other
fruits using a cocktail pick turns them into a "flag". A cherry
speared onto an orange slice is called an orange flag; speared onto a
pineapple it’s called a pineapple flag, and so on. No other
garnish is as staunchly patriotic as the cherry.
Maraschino Cherries
It's unclear whether these bright red cherries are garnishes or garbage. Although they add little flavor when dropped into a drink, most people prefer to pull the cherries out by their stems and eat them as well. Because of this, buy maraschino cherries with stems attached if possible. Also, be aware that green maraschino cherries carry a very strong, very different, and very minty flavor while red maraschino cherries are sweet and tasty. If a drink calls for a maraschino cherry, a red maraschino is almost always preferred.
Celery stalks
The traditional decoration of a Bloody Mary, you should cut as little as possible from the celery, leaving the leafy end above the level of the liquid while also leaving as much of the celery as possible to be chewed on by the drinker.
Oranges Definitely not just for breakfast
juice! An orange is a great garnish for many a cocktail. First cut the
orange in half, then into 5mm thick half-moon shapes with a slit in the
middle so you can place the garnish on, not in, the glass.
Olives
The traditional martini garnish, green olives should be served without pimentos (the little red thing sometimes found in green olives) and served skewered on a toothpick, plastic sword, or martini skewer and placed in the drink. Although some drinks specifically call for black olives, if the recipe doesn't specify what color olive to use then a green olive is appropriate.
Pearl onions
Pearl onions should be served in the same manner as olives, skewered and placed in gin and vermouth.
Pineapples
Tropical drinks are so popular that
you can't really do without pineapple slices. Rip off the green part of
the pineapple, cut off the ends, and then slice the pineapple into 1cm
thick rings. Cut these rings into 4 or 6 slices with slits for placing
on the glass. Aloha!
Kitsch
Various drinks may also be appropriately served with plastic swords, paper parasols, fireworks, or any other odds and ends. Although men are often embarrased to be served such decorated drinks, we find that almost anything is acceptable on the shores of a tropical island.
Other garnishes
Banana, strawberry, raspberry, blackberry,
mint, kiwis, cucumber - you name it! There is no definitive list of garnishes. Use
whatever you think appropriate, but keep in mind that a good garnish is
always simple, logical for the drink, and fresh! |
