Techniques for preparing cocktail garnishes

Cocktail garnishing holds an important place in the industry. Bartenders learn to cut out interesting elements, use carving techniques and their imagination to please guests.
But let's figure out why the garnish is so important, and what main aspects need to be taken into account when making it.

Garnish is usually called any element that is used to decorate cocktails.

The history of the appearance of garnish

At the dawn of the bar era, the priority was the strength of the drink, and only then the appearance and aroma. During Prohibition, the first “unusual serves” appeared in America. For example, whiskey was poured into teapots and passed off as ice tea. Of course, all these manipulations and tricks were not without reason. Prohibition created harsh conditions for any alcoholic beverages, and people tried to disguise the joyful drink with harmless tea.

In 1933, plastic decorations came into fashion: funny monkeys, dolphins, inedible vegetables, fruits, umbrellas and shiny ropes. They became the association for carefree vacations in Hawaii. The dawn of tiki cocktails in fancy glasses and huge garnishes has begun.

In Russia in the 1990s, one of the first printed publications on cocktail decoration was published, and the development of a huge number of techniques and methods for making fancy-shaped decorations from vegetables and fruits began.

Main types of garnishes

There are quite a few varieties of garnishes. In this article we will highlight the main ones that can be found in almost every bar.

• Fruits. Cocktails can use a whole slice of fruit (as, for example, in the Negroni), or a small maraschino cherry (in the legendary Manhattan cocktail), and in recent years they have used dried fruit, more precisely, dehydrated using a dehydrator;
• Greenery. This section includes all the aromatic herbs that can be found in drinks: aromatic bunches of mint, spicy basil, thyme, lavender, celery and much more;
• Inflorescences. Edible flowers have been used in cooking for quite some time. The bar industry has adopted this trend, and a light, aromatic cocktail can be found garnished with clover or rose;
• Fantasy jewelry. This category includes everything that the bartenders’ imagination is rich in: wafer paper, chocolate figures, and branded ice blocks (ice with the emblem of the establishment) - all this perfectly tells the story of the drink.

5 unusual garnish ideas:

• Chocolate garnish poured into a silicone mold and covered with confectionery velor;
• Kandurin. Food glitter, which won women's hearts in 2018, is still relevant;
• Gold leaf. Edible gold, which can be used to coat a slice of citrus fruit or place it neatly on a block of ice;
• Raspberry/lingonberry/cranberry soil. Dehydrated crushed berries will not only provide a bright color accent, but will also provide a strong aroma;
• Foam. Molecular mixology textures where you can experiment with flavors, colors and densities. A simple build, decorated with incredible foam, will become the top drink in the establishment.

Decorating tips

The garnish must meet the cocktail according to several basic criteria:

Size. Naturally, you shouldn’t make a banana dolphin or a huge branch of celery on a small cocktail glass. Everything must be rational. A small glass means a small, laconic decoration made from a twist of zest, for example, or a star anise. In longs, you can already increase the size of the decor and use a matching garnish.

Color. The color palette of the cocktail should not resemble a traffic light. All its components should be as harmonious as possible with each other. Perhaps the garnish can be a color accent, but you always need to know when to stop and not turn the drink into a Christmas tree.

Compound. The decoration should either duplicate one component of the cocktail, or go well with other components. For example, it is illogical to decorate a milkshake with lemon, or a strawberry daiquiri with a banana.

When it comes to decorating cocktails, you should always have a clear head in order to understand what will attract guests, what will highlight not only the components of the cocktails, but also the main concept that the creator of the drink is trying to convey to everyone.

Expert opinion

For the last 5-6 years, after the fashion for tiki cocktails, minimalism has reigned in the world of garnishes. The technology for making such jewelry can vary from the easiest to requiring more than an hour of preparation. Bartenders try to make decorations as laconic as possible, but at the same time fully reveal the taste and aromatic nuances of the finished drinks, using different technologies, textures and perfumes. Decorations have become a kind of highlight that makes the drink unforgettable and similar to a work of art.