Level Up Your Salt & Garnish

Story by Bryan Muirhead | Photos by Topograph

The making and drinking of cocktails has never been just about the taste of the drink itself. Since its history, the art of drink making has been almost entirely entrenched in the experience surrounding the drink. The glass it’s served in, the ice that’s used, the way it’splaced in front of you. It’s always been about the entire experience. Why?

Because we don’t just taste with our tongues.

It's why the complete cocktail matters—from the glassware to the garnish. Since the first recorded recipes of cocktails started showing up on the scene, there have been garnishes. The highest-paid cowboys and gunslingers hardly ever drank straight whiskies as suggested by Hollywood films. In fact, those high-paid gunslingers would have wanted their success and wealth known to those around them and would have had mugs overflowing with fresh mint, berries, and cobbled ice, a true “flex” of the time.

Much like back then, a proper garnish can take your drink making from good to great—not only through fresh citrus and herbs, but also through unique sugars and salts. The variety of salts available to enhance your cocktail experience are numerous, so it may be hard to know where to start.

From grapefruit and other citrus salts to agave worm salt, the combinations aren’t quite endless, but there are a few good ones worth trying.