Give your cocktails a glow-up … 8 easy garnishes to try
With New Year’s Eve almost upon us it is time to look forward to the new year and make a whole bunch of resolutions that may or may not be broken in the first week of January. One resolution we can really get behind is to ensure that all the drinks we make at home look just as special as they do at your favourite bar. If you think that sounds complicated, you'll be happy to hear that it is actually amazingly easy to give your homemade cocktails a glow up that would make any bartender happy. Try these 8 ideas at home.
1. Ice – there’s lots of fabulous ice moulds available in all sorts of shapes and sizes that will make a plain drink a bit fancier. Or make your ice cubes really special by adding fruit or edible flowers – they look great in the glass and add flavour and colour as the ice melts.
2. Citrus peel – adding citrus peel to your drinks will not only make your drink look great but the oils in the citrus will also enhance the flavour and aroma of the drink. You can simply peel off a strip of citrus with a vegetable peeler or sharp knife or get fancy and use crimping shears for a scalloped edge.
3. Olives – make like James Bond and add olives on an olive skewer or toothpick to your martini.
4. Cherries – fresh, dark cherries lend a lux feel to cocktails and provide something tasty to nibble on too.
5. Fruit – don’t be limited to cherries or a strawberry in a glass of bubbles, there’s a whole world of fruits to explore. Cut firm fruit like pears and apples into a fan or large segments for a glam garnish.
6. Egg white and bitters – add a teaspoon of egg white to your cocktail shaker just before shaking and you’ll create a frothy surface on the drink which you can then dress up by adding a couple of drops of bitters and pulling a toothpick through the drops.
7. Cucumber – for a refreshing drink cucumber is the ideal partner. You can slice it simply into circles or use a vegetable peeler to create ribbons that can be arranged on a skewer to create a gorgeous garnish.
8. Herbs – for the ultimate in aromatic additions, rub herbs between your hands to release the aroma before adding to the drink.
