Twist Your Citrus

Twist Your Citrus

Perfect with: a mimosa, lemonade, or any citrus drink

1. Peel an orange in one long, 1-inch-wide piece. The trick: Adjust your blade if the strip starts to get too narrow.

2. Wrap the peel around your finger, pinch, and pull off.

3. Hold to keep the rose shape, then cut a vertical slit through the layers. Slide the rose on the glass and insert a fresh bay leaf between the layers. 

 

Keep it Cool

Keep it Cool

Perfect with: a cucumber martini, sparkling water, or any light, refreshing drink

1. Hold a cucumber (or try a firm, ripe pear) in one hand and a paring knife in the other. Place the blade about 2 inches from the end of the cucumber and start the cut right under the surface of the skin, sliding the blade at an angle in toward the center of the cucumber.

2. Rotate cucumber and repeat four more times (each cut creates a petal), making sure the cuts connect.

3. Twist off the flower by gently rotating the cucumber's end back and forth.

4. Cut a vertical slit in the bottom of the flower, then slide it on the edge of a glass.

Tip: Store the flowers in cold water to keep them fresh.

Orange Star Cocktail Garnish

Orange Star Cocktail Garnish

1 round of orange peel

1. Use a spoon to remove flesh from the orange peel.

2. From the inside of the peel, use a star-shaped cookie cutter to stencil out the shape of the garnish. (This works with other shapes too, if you have a heart-shaped cookie cutter, for example.)

3. Use a knife to cut a small incision on the orange peel and place it on the rim of your cocktail glass.

Cocktail: This star garnish looks gorgeous perched on the edge of a dark-hued drink, like a Negroni or an Old Fashioned.
 

Orange Rosette Cocktail Garnish

Orange Rosette

1 orange peel, cut into 1-inch wide and 4-inch long pieces
1 bay leaf, or mint leaf

1. Roll the peel, skin side out, into a cylinder. Gently push up the innermost roll so it resembles a rose.

2. With your thumb on the end of the peel, hold the shape upright. Without letting it unfold, cut a ½-inch incision into the bottom, through all the layers. Gently place the rose onto a glass rim.

3. Place a bay leaf or mint leaf into the outer layer to give it a natural touch.

Cocktail: Dress up a tall and cool cocktail, such as the Orange Blossom, with this citrusy delight.

 

 

Mint Cocktail Garnish

 MINT COCKTAIL GARNISH

               Mint isn't much harder to work with than twists are. The main thing with mint is to have a light hand, especially when muddling. When you garnish the top of the glass, use a fresh bunch of sprigs (don't be miserly, and don't reuse the stuff you muddled), and be sure to sharply spank the mint to release its aromas. Yes, I said spank.

Bloody Cocktail Garnish

BLOODY COCKTAIL GARNISH

                  This can be created by simply using red or black sugar. The rim on this cocktail is a little devious because the courtesy image suggests a syrup that drips along the edge while the written recipe indicates the standard sugar rim, which would be crystalline. If you want the syrupy look: drizzle a thin stream of grenadine (or a similar red syrup) on the inside of the rim of the glass. Practice and use frozen glasses for the best visual results.

There are two options for colored sugar. You can usually find it in the baking section of the grocery store. It is typically used for decorating sweets but makes a colorful rimming option well. The alternative is to add food coloring to white sugar to make any color you want. For Halloween, I prefer the latter because the liquid turns the sugar into more of a gooey substance that sticks easily to the glass, though does also clump more.

Also, try running the rim through grenadine for a red base before the sugar for a more dynamic effect.

 

Pumpkin Top Cocktail Garnish

PUMPKIN TOP GARNISH

            This is a clever and easy garnish that can be used in a multitude of drinks, especially those with a concentration of orange juice, like this Jack O'Lantern Cocktail. By having the orange colored drink as a base and serving a it in a short, round glass the full effect of the pumpkin can be achieved. Constructing this garnish is simple: Cut an orange wheel and a small lime peel. Twist the lime and poke it into the middle of the orange. This faux pumpkin cap will float on your drink and adding a straw to one side of the orange makes the cocktail below easy to drink

Pumpkin Cocktail Garnish

PUMPKIN COCKTAIL GARNISH

Take your pumpkin carving skills to a smaller medium by carving your garnish. This is a neat little trick that can go with almost any cocktail and is pictured here in this Jack O' Lantern made with (of all things) Jack Daniel's .

All you need is a knife or channel knife, a little patience, and some fruit to practice with. The orange is a perfect candidate because of its color and thick skin. The trick is to carve out the orange peel, leaving a thin layer of the white pith visible. The second trick is to carefully peel the circle you cut from the fruit. Like I said, a little patience and practice and you have a great garnish.

Try this technique with other citrus fruit as well, or you can do the same with hot pepper garnishes, cutting through the entire skin. Another great addition to the orange face is to burn it as you would any burnt orange peel.

Spiral Cocktail Garnish

SPIRAL COCKTAIL GARNISH

              It’s time to curl your fruit for a fancy twist to a classic cocktail! Cut lemon or lime fruit in half long ways. Get a sharp knife and slice long strips 1/4 inch then soak in ice cold water. Trick 1: wrap tightly around a plastic straw and pop in the freezer OR Trick 2: Gently dip the fruit strips one at a time into boiling water then quickly drop into the iced water. The fruit should curl up instantly.

How To Garnish A Cocktail.

How to Garnish a Cocktail

        Many cocktails are not complete without a garnish, and a drink may only become a specific, famous cocktail after it has been properly garnished. There are many different kinds of cocktail garnishes, which can be placed on the rim of the glass, floated on the drink, or merely placed in the drink. A certain artistry is involved in their preparation and placement.

Steps

   
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 grater can also be used to grate ingredients that are used for rimming glasses. A combination of different garnishes can be used, so have the tools ready for the types of garnishes that are to be made.

 

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. A pear slice is used to garnish an Asian Pear Martini, and a Razzmopolitan is garnished with raspberries. 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. Vodka-based cocktails tend to pair well with lemon and lime flavors, tequila and rum pair well with 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.

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. 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.

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 width-wise. 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. Start by cutting the fruit in half from one cut end to the other (lengthwise). Then slice each half lengthwise (in half) to produce four wedges, then slice each of the four wedges in half lengthwise to produce the eight wedges. Make a single slice in the middle area of the meat of the wedges and halfway through wheels (from the edge to the center) with a paring knife and stick them onto the rim of the glass. Also coat wedges and spirals in fine sugar. • 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.

 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 on or partially in the drink, but are not stuck onto the rim of the glass. However, a boat garnish can 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. Strawberries and other fruits can be dipped in melted chocolate and placed on the rim of the glass.

• 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-dipped part, and place it on the rim of the glass. If the chocolate has been allowed to solidify completely, it may crack and break off somewhat when the strawberry is sliced and placed on the 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.

  

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. Cocktails made with hot coffee or hot chocolate (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.

 Finished Product.