Garnish and Glassware

from a Pro

Resident Drinks Guru, Ben Davidson says that when making cocktails at home during any season there are some important details to consider that can make the difference between a good drink and an amazing drink.

ESSENTIAL GLASSWARE

There is something elegant and reassuring when you drink out of a beautiful glass. The glassware pros at Riedel and Spiegelau have spent decades understanding how the shape of a glassware can accentuate the appreciation of the liquid in the glass.

Three essential glasses for getting the most out of your cocktail at home –

HIGHBALL GLASS

Also known as a tall glass, the highball is perfect for enjoyment of refreshing ‘long’ drinks that have a high proportion of mixer in the recipe. Perfect for a G&T, Mojiti or a Whiskey Highball.

PREMIUM SPIRITS

The use of quality spirit brands in your cocktails can make a big difference to the final taste and balance. Trusted and established spirit brands have a reputation for quality, built up over the centuries, in some cases.

FRESH CITRUS

DOUBLE OLD FASHIONED

Also known as a large ‘rocks’ glass or tumbler, this glass is versatile enough for a Caipiroska, Negroni or Whiskey Sour.

COUPETTE

Also known as s cocktail glass, this cousin of the Martini glass has a deeper bowl and slightly tapers to the top. It’s become the go-to glass for ‘shaken and strained’ cocktails – perfect for a Daiquiri, Espresso Martini, or a Margarita.

For the cocktails in this edition, we feature the Spiegelau Perfect Serve collection developed in collaboration with a German bartender as well as a selection of Riedel glassware. Another area not to compromise is to have freshly squeezed citrus for your cocktails. The difference between freshly squeezed lime and lemon compared to bottled is dramatic. The former is aromatic, and tart and the latter is too sour and bitter and full of preservatives.

SEASONAL FRUITS

Always look for fresh fruits in season to add to the cocktails you are making. For summer cocktails think – passionfruit, mango, pineapple, blackberries, nectarines. These will add visual and aromatic appeal to your cocktails.

GARNISHING

A garnish is a visual and aromatic enhancement to the appearance and smell of a drink or cocktail. The garnish should be fresh to the nose and beautiful to the eye and either be mounted on the side of the glass or carefully placed on top of or in the drink itself.

The garnish should be relevant to the drink that it’s adorning, ideally being a representation of one of the ingredients in the beverage.

Go-to garnishes: lime, lemon, orange, pink grapefruit, cucumber, mint, strawberry.

LOTS OF ICE

An abundance of ice is a crucial requirement for fresh, tasty drinks at home. A good par level is to estimate about 1kg of ice per person for a three hour party. In this issue, we feature ice cubes from Sydneybased Bare Bones Ice Company, who supply a lot of bars with their crystal clear ice cubes. Bare Bones can also provide ice for your next cocktail event at home. Ice available includes large cubes, rectangular prisms, ice ‘spears’ and crushed ice - depending on the drinks you are serving.