THE NEW AGE OF COCKTAIL GARNISHES

GARNISHES RANGE FROM EDIBLE TO ELABORATE, AND CAN BE AS SIMPLE AS A DUSTING OF CINNAMON, TO A FANCY SMOKED INFUSED COCKTAIL OR THE MORE REFINED OLIVE ON A SKEWER. WHATEVER THE STYLE OF GARNISH, THEY NEED TO SERVE A PURPOSE AND ELEVATE THE DRINKING EXPERIENCE. HERE, SHIRLEY LEUNG DELVES INTO THE HISTORY OF GARNISH TRENDS AND THE LATEST TREND OF THE NAKED GARNISH.

WORDS BY SHIRLEY LEUNG

Let’s start with the simple question of, what is a garnish?

Is it a physical thing? Or a tangible thing that offers intangibility of experiences? More importantly, what are the limits to garnishing a drink?

I would love to say goodbye to the days of over-garnishing, but let’s be honest with ourselves, those Bloody Marys with chicken wings, mini cheeseburgers and candied bacon still exist somewhere, and let’s not start on the fairy floss and bubble smoke gun gadgets. Gimmicks only remain as gimmicks for a short run. They’re never intended to be long-lasting.

For much of history, cocktail garnishes only served within two categories. The first is known as the ‘worker’ garnish, finishing touches that serve to complete a drink: the olives in a Martini; a cherry in a Manhattan; the pickled onion for a Gibson. The other category is the ‘fancy’ garnish. Its sole purpose is to be a decoration for a drink. However, as social media platforms have become one of the easiest ways for bars across the country to get recognised and used as a marketing tool to raise brand awareness, we’ve seen a huge shift in the past few years from over-the-top garnishes to ones that are aesthetically simpler and serve a bigger purpose than a gimmick.

As the world became more aware of their environmental impact, so did bartenders. We’ve seen a huge push in the community to reduce waste and promote the cycle of reusing and repurposing ingredients from

the bar and kitchen. Initiatives like Trash Tiki were born to build a community of knowledge for bars to have access to and discuss issues of sustainability in the industry, and great bars such as the former Dandelyan have taken strides to promote zero wastage bars.

Several years later, we’ve arrived at a new age for cocktail garnishes. Enter the naked garnish. Simple, subtle, softer, and serves a bigger purpose. To the eye, it may be just a repurposed sugar-coated rim or paint on a Highball; a few drops of oils in a Martini; a dehydrated leather candy; a mist of fragrance. The purpose is still theatrical at its core, but the thought process and intentions have changed. The golden rule of design has always been ‘form follows function’, and so it seems the world of cocktail creations and the bartenders that follow have also adopted this rule.

Not only does recycling, reusing and repurposing already used bar ingredients help reduce wastage, it becomes more cost-efficient for businesses. It also allows for more creativity and pushes the boundaries of creation for bartenders. It is creating new challenges and new flavours.

Like most trends that come and go, let’s hope for this one to stick around a little longer.