Tricks of the Trade - Creative

OFF THE RIM

A Guide to Garnishes

By Anthony Caporale

When I first stepped behind the rail two decades ago, most bars stocked only five basic garnishes: lemon and lime wedges, orange slices, and pimento-stuffed olives which were invariably kept next to – and stained red from – that bastardization of a noble fruit, Maraschino cherries. Somewhere in the back of a cabinet there may have lurked a lone jar of cocktail onions that had probably been around since opening day, and of course every Sunday there was a panicked dash to the walk-in cooler to scrounge up celery for the first Bloody Mary of the morning. Besides that even a properly cut lemon twist was hard to find.

As the modern mixology movement began to gain traction, led by such luminaries as Dale DeGroff and his famed, flaming orange peels, garnishes began to evolve as well. It started discreetly with a then-novel concern for the quality and freshness of the fruit: suddenly, bar limes went from brown-tinged to bright green, lemons began to glisten, and olives (thankfully away from the cherries) grew firm and whole. Next, pimentos gave way to bleu cheese, followed quickly by garlic, prosciuto, and whatever else the bartender could cut or shrink to fit inside a cocktail olive.

As a treasure trove of treats were gracing the bottom of classic martinis, another timeless technique was being adapted to enhance the rims of an emerging breed of modern martinis. Margaritas were increasingly being served strained and up with traditional salt rims intact, and as the Lemondrop Martini mirrored the classic Mexican cocktail, salt was replaced with sugar. This opened a whole new world of goodness that could be ground, crumbled, or blended and stuck to the rim of a glass with any number of syrups, cocoa powder, as in the case of the White Chocolate Martinis and even graham crackers for a Key Lime Martini (how could one forget the crust?). The humble garnish tray soon became crowded with three, four, even five different glass rimmer sets, though in most bars the fruits inside the tray were still limited to variations on the original five.

It took the rise of the mighty Mojito for beverage managers to realize that they could sell drinks with something other than fruit garnishes, but once they began stocking mint the floodgates parted to release all manner of flora into our beverages. Basil was used to top Bloody Marys, thyme sprigs lent their aroma to gin cocktails, and orchid leaves were floated delicately atop Lycheetinis. Riding this wave, even the maligned Maraschino cherry experienced a rebirth as bartenders began making their own from fresh fruit and any number of liquors.

Today, the sky’s the limit when it comes to extending the visual and flavor appeal of our beverages beyond the liquid inside the glass. I recently judged a nationwide cocktail contest with some of the most progressive mixologists in the country, and was treated to a veritable cornucopia of garnishes that included spiced rock candy, cotton candy, baby grapes, rosemary, shredded coconut, grated baker’s chocolate, grape leaves, pomegranate seeds, and even a slice of Buddha’s Hand fruit. With so many choices available, it can be difficult to decide how best to enhance your latest cocktail creation.

Just be careful not to fall prey to the dreaded over-garnish. Let your cocktail’s ingredients and character shine through, and remember that in a well-made drink less is more when it comes to garnishes. What makes any drink successful is the bartender’s deft hand, always carefully balancing the ingredients and making sure that the garnish remains just a subtle enhancement, a delicate extension of the cocktail’s personality. And at the end of the day, no matter what you’re mixing, you could usually do worse than reaching into your trusty garnish tray and grabbing a wedge of freshly-cut, perfectly ripe lime. But please don’t keep them next to the cherries.

Tips on Creative Garnishing

Garnishes should always make a drink look and taste better. A lonely olive perched dryly on a pick above even the most carefully crafted martini is completely missing the point. Unless the garnish is purposely external to the drink, as in the case of powdered sugar sprinkled on a plate around the base of a dessert cocktail, it should add something to the taste.

The main thing to achieve is a connection with the drink’s main ingredients. If an ingredient is in the drink consider putting it on the drink. For instance adding a vanilla bean to a Vanilla Martini is an obvious win.

Things that pair well with a drink’s ingredients on a plate are likely to work well on the glass. Using bacon to garnish an Applejack cocktail sweetened with maple syrup is a more daring and fun application.

Stay organic and local whenever possible. Play with exotic flavors, but realize that yuzu flown in from East Asia isn’t the greenest ingredient to work with despite its color. Local veggies used creatively can be even more unique and are almost always easier on the cash register. Cucumber and gin is a match made in heaven. Peppers of every color pair well with tequila, and vodka has a particular affinity for all types of tomatoes.

Don’t forget the inside of the glass, for it is glass after all and provides a perfect window into the heart of your masterpiece. Chocolate syrup, caramel, or grenadine drizzled down the inside of an empty glass can bloom into surprising and beautiful patterns once you add the cocktail. Try cutting paper-thin slices of fruit and press them against the inside of a glass, sometimes layered over a fine latticework of syrup for even more interest.