Cocktail garnishing provides decorative elements that enhance mixed drinks. Common garnishes include fruit slices and citrus twists, with rum drinks often featuring tropical fruits and tequila featuring limes. Proper tools and preparation are required to make various garnishes like wheels, wedges, spirals and rimming the glass. More elaborate garnishes combine fruits on toothpicks or use chocolate-dipped strawberries. The garnish should complement the drink flavors and can be prepared before or sprinkled on after mixing the cocktail.
3. 1. Obtain the proper garnishing tools. Most
garnishes can be made with a paring knife,
but it is helpful to have a channel knife
tool and a grater. A larger knife may be
needed if larger fruits are to be prepared,
such as oranges and pineapples. Channel
Knife tools are used to make twists and spirals
from citrus fruits, while a grater enables
one to grate ingredients such as chocolate
and nutmeg fresh right over the cocktail. A Lemon wedges and wheel, paring
grater can also be used to grate ingredients knife, channel knife tool and the
that are used for rimming glasses. A makings of lemon spirals, dark
combination of different garnishes can be chocolate square and microplane
used, so have the tools ready for the types grater
of garnishes that are to be made.
4. 2. Decide what kinds of garnishes should be used. The
cocktail recipe will usually call for a certain
garnish, but this is not always the case. Different
garnishes can be used according to personal
preference, and combinations of multiple
garnishes can be used. Citrus garnishes are
generally great for cocktails that do not contain
milk or cream, although there are creamy cocktails
that call for citrus garnishes such as orange
spirals. Maraschino cherries complement many
different types of cocktails, but should never be
used in certain cocktails, such as a standard
martini. Many garnishes complement one of the
primary cocktail ingredients. Tomato-based cocktails
are generally garnished with limes, lemons and
celery stalks. Always consider how the garnish will
complement the flavor of the primary ingredients. Bloody Bull cocktail garnished with
Vodka-based cocktails tend to pair well with lemon salt-rimmed glass, lemon wedge
and lime flavors, tequila and rum pair well with and lime wheel
limes, rum can pair well with mint, chocolate pairs
with creme de cacao liqueur, and coffee beans
complement coffee liqueur. Also consider the
overall theme of the drink. Tropical cocktails may
use tropical fruits, and dessert cocktails may use
cookies or chocolate. A cocktail that uses spiced
rum may be garnished with a cinnamon stick.
5. 3. Rim the glass. The rim of the empty glass can
be coated with garnishes such as fine sugar, salt,
cocoa powder, finely grated chocolate and finely
crushed graham crackers or cookies. To coat the
rim of a glass, first spread or mound the garnish
ingredient on a small plate or tray, then briefly
rub around the rim of the glass with something
such as a lemon wedge to moisten it. The garnish
will adhere to the area that is moistened. Then
lay the glass on its side so that the rim is
touching the garnish, and rotate or roll the glass
on the garnish so that the entire rim is coated. Rimming glass with superfine sugar
The glass can also just be placed upside down on
the rimming ingredient and rotated somewhat to
coat the rim. Additional garnishes may be added to
cocktails that are served in rimmed glasses.
6. 4. Prepare standard or simple garnishes. Garnishes
generally need to be prepared before the cocktail
is mixed. Common, relatively simple garnishes for
cocktails include maraschino cherries as well as
citrus wedges, wheels, twists and spirals. Olives,
cocktail onions and celery stalks are also
commonly used for certain drinks.
• Wheels are made by simply slicing a fruit
widthwise. The ends of the fruit are disposed of,
and the slices should be about 1/4" thick. To make
wedges, first cut off and dispose of the ends of
the fruit, then slice the fruit into eight wedges. Making lemon wedges
Start by cutting the fruit in half from one cut
end to the other (lengthwise).
7. • Spirals can be dangled from the rim of the glass.
Twists are twisted, bent or rolled to release the
citrus skin oils and to give them their
characteristic shape, then dropped into the drink.
Twists can be about an inch or more long, while
spirals can be a few or more inches long. Twists
and spirals can both be made relatively easily with
a channel knife tool. Try making twists by running
the channel knife tool lengthwise along a lemon (or
other citrus fruit), and make spirals by running the
channel knife around a lemon. Twists and spirals
can also be made by cutting the rind of a citrus
fruit into strips with a paring knife.
• Garnishes such as cherries, cocktail olives and
cocktail onions can be speared with toothpicks
and rested on the rim of the glass or merely
dropped into the drink and allowed to rest on the
bottom of the glass, especially if the drink is not
opaque. If multiple such fruits are going to be used
to garnish one cocktail, it is best to spear them
together with a toothpick.
• For an easy but attractive garnish, rest a sprig of
mint on the glass rim or on the drink. Cinnamon
sticks can simply be rested on the rim of the glass
or placed vertically in the drink.
8. 5. Prepare more elaborate or exotic garnishes. Use a
toothpick to stick together different fruits to make
fruit "flags" and "boats". Flags are stuck onto the
rim of the glass, with one fruit stuck on top of
another. Boats essentially rest against the rim and Orange boat and orange
on or partially in the drink, but are not stuck onto flag (use one to garnish a
the rim of the glass. However, a boat garnish can prepared cocktail)
rest on the rim of the glass with the help of a
toothpick. An orange and cherry boat is made by
placing a cherry on the center of an orange wheel
and bending the slice somewhat around the cherry
like a taco. A toothpick is inserted through the
orange slice and the cherry to keep the slice
curved like a boat around the cherry. Use boats
with frothy cocktails. Try using fruits such as
pineapples, bananas, kiwis and berries when
making fruit flags. Leave fruits unpeeled when
slicing them into garnishes such as wheels. Pear slice and kiwi wheel
Strawberries and other fruits can be dipped in (use one to garnish a prepared
melted chocolate and placed on the rim of the cocktail)
glass.
9. To make a chocolate-dipped strawberry that can be
placed on the rim of a glass, first melt some
chocolate, then carefully dip the strawberry in the
chocolate and allow the extra chocolate to drip off.
The chocolate should be allowed to cool and
solidify somewhat so that is doesn't drip down the
glass. Set the strawberry down on parchment
paper or wax paper for a short period of time, or
keep it suspended vertically so that the chocolate
drips downward evenly and forms an even coating.
When the chocolate has become stable but is still
somewhat gooey, make a vertical slice in the
bottom of the strawberry through the chocolate- Banana slice, chocolate-dipped
dipped part, and place it on the rim of the glass. If strawberry, and pineapple
the chocolate has been allowed to solidify wedge with strawberry (use
completely, it may crack and break off somewhat one to garnish a prepared
when the strawberry is sliced and placed on the cocktail)
rim. The strawberry can be placed on an empty
glass before straining or pouring the drink, and try
chilling the glass and/or the strawberry first so that
the chocolate solidifies rapidly.
10. 6.Garnish the prepared cocktail. Right after mixing the
cocktail, garnish the cocktail as called for by the
recipe or as desired.
Sprinkle ingredients such as cocoa powder and
ground cinnamon on top of the cocktail. Grate or
zest ingredients such as dark chocolate, nutmeg
and citrus fruits fresh right over the cocktail. Frothy cocktail with grated
Cocktails made with hot coffee or hot chocolate dark chocolate garnish
(usually referred to as "warmers"), such as Irish
Cream Coffee and Black Forest Hot Chocolate may
be topped with whipped cream, and then garnished
with grated chocolate, cocoa powder or a
maraschino cherry.
You can also float the garnish on the surface of the
cocktail. Float coffee beans on frothy cocktails.
Also float citrus spirals and thin fruit wheels (such
as apple wheels) on various cocktails, not just
frothy ones. Persimmon wheel floating
in cocktail
11. Tips
- Always have garnishes prepared and ready before making cocktails.
- Practice making the garnishes before making actual cocktails.
- There are many variations on certain cocktail recipes, and garnishes will vary according to the
recipe.
- Always use fresh, sanitary ingredients for garnishes, as the garnishes are foods and are
meant to be consumed.
Warnings
- Knives and other garnishing tools are sharp and may cause injury if not handled properly and
with care.
- No matter what kind of knife you are using, always make sure it's sharp. A dull knife tends to
do more harm than good.
Things You'll Need
- Garnishing tools (grater, paring knife, channel knife tool for citrus spirals)
- Various garnishes (depending on your drinks)-maraschino cherries, citrus fruits, etc.
12. How to Make a Bloody Bull
A Bloody Bull is a tomato-based cocktail that is made
with beef bouillon.
Ingredients
Salt
1 oz vodka
1/2 glass beef bouillon
1/2 glass tomato juice
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce (optional)
Dash Tabasco sauce (optional)
Ground pepper (optional)
1 lime wheel
1 lemon wedge
Steps
1. Rim the glass with salt.
2. Fill the glass with ice cubes.
3. Pour in the vodka.
4. Add Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce.
5. Fill glass halfway with beef bouillon.
6. Top off the glass with tomato juice.
7. Stir the drink.
8. Sprinkle on the black pepper and garnish with lime wheel and lemon wedge.
16. Chocolate Full Moon
Ingredients:
Amount Ingredient
2 Measures
Tequila
1 Measure De Kuyper Crème
De Cacao – Brown
1 Measure
Cream
Method: Garnish:
Pour all the ingredients into a Chocolate shavings
shaker with ice and shake. if desired
Strain into a cocktail glass. Type/Flavour:
Garnish with chocolate shaving if Chocolate
desired. Glass:
Additional notes: Martini
Use De Kuyper Crème de Cacao
Dark for the best results.
A root beer float