A Guide to Garnishing Your Drinks

When you order a drink at a bar, restaurant, or party, you'll often see a decorative garnish on your drink, either floating in the drink, standing up in it, or balancing on the rim. Are drink garnishes just about appearances, like organic versions of the tiny sword or little toothpick umbrella? 

Actually, garnishes add a unique flavor punch to a variety of drinks, and knowing when and how to use them, as well as how to make them, is an important part of serving drinks to guests. If you find a special on liquor in Winder, GA, and find yourself with some extra cash to play around with, invest in drink garnishes. Not only will your guests be pleasantly shocked that you have garnishes at all, they'll love what each one adds to every drink, both in terms of flavor and elegance.

Common Garnishes

Common garnishes in settings ranging from casual to luxury include lemon peel, orange peel, lime slices, maraschino cherries, olives, mini pickled onions, celery sticks, mint leaves, cinnamon sticks, and pineapple slices. Rarer garnish options that are typically served in fine dining settings include edible flowers, fresh seasonal berries, vanilla bean pods, and sprigs of sage or lavender.

Placement

Placement is everything when it comes to garnish. If you don't know how to place a garnish correctly, you might as well omit it entirely. Whether you're serving drinks for yourself, a romantic partner, or a party, you should know where to place different types of garnishes, and even combine them. 

It's important to know that garnish served on the rim of a glass is versatile, as it allows the drinker to choose whether to simply enjoy the decorative touch, wipe its juice or oils around the rim, or drop it into their drink. If serving garnishes like herb sprigs or olives, which can't balance on a rim, lay them across the rim of the drink using a toothpick. You should only serve garnish floating in a drink if it's vital to a classic recipe, like the cherry in a Manhattan, or if the drinker asks for it.

Flavors

Certain liquors do well with certain garnish flavors, but not others. For instance, lemon peel or juice is a great addition to vodka, whereas lime is the preferred garnish for tequila. Orange peel and cinnamon sticks are great additions to rum cocktails like spiked eggnog or a hot toddy. Meanwhile, whiskey does well with orange peel and sage  Olives are classic additions to gin cocktails like martinis, and pineapple slices are best reserved for tequila or rum-based fruit cocktails. If you're not experienced with mixing your own drinks, research recipes for garnish recommendations.

More important than the garnish, though, is the quality of the liquor you serve. You can find a great special on liquor in Winder, GA, if you do some research before you shop.