Garnishes Galore

Modern bartenders look to finish their drinks with a final, fancy flair. By Jack Robertiello

Cocktails served at Zola Restaurant in Washington DC. ow far has the cocktail revolution ranged? Take a recent night at one of the Manhattan Hheadquarters for cocktail geeks, the Pegu Club. Standing at the bar, a number of men were proudly hoist- ing drinks gaudily garnished with pansies and orchids. Drinks bearing flowers are not often beheld in the aver- age bar east of Honolulu, but it is a sign that at serious cocktail establishments, what finishes your drink gets as much attention as the drink itself.

All around the country, especially in cocktail crazed cities, once unthinkable items have been found floating in or perching on the rims of martini glasses. Today’s mixologists have thrown open the pantry doors to seek out the final fillip for their creations. From rosemary sprigs to dried apples, shisho leaves to lemon grass stalks, rose petals to sliced meat, what had become a beverage afterthought is now a key component of the creative process to help make a drink stand out in the crowd. A cocktail garnish, even in the golden era of drinking in the days before Prohibition, was never more than a culinary addendum: olives, pickled onions, pineapple wedges, cherries, lemon twists, orange curls and a sprinkle of nutmeg were about the limit. David Wondrich, Esquire drink columnist and recent author of the homage to American bartending pioneer Jerry Thomas, Imbibe!, says garnishes could be quite elaborate around the mid 1800’s; “If they had it, they’d use it,” he says. But then drinkers reacted against that baroque style; the era of the lemon twist and solitary cherry arrived and continued until recently. Navan Fizz Wondrich favors a slightly more restrained rests on top of the glass and as the jello melts, style than has suddenly become the rage. “A The Shelf Life the colors streak throughout the drink, says good garnish ideally should be part of the manager and bartender Bill Torrance. drink,” Wondrich says. “The way a lemon peel of Garnishes gives you a slick of lemon oil on the surface and Maximizing Creativity immediately tells your nose that this is some- Beverage consultant Jerri Banks, who de- thing worth drinking; this is the highest func- Whatever sort of garnish decisions velops cocktail recipes for spirit brands, a bar operator makes needs to be tion of a garnish. It should also look attractive restaurants and special events, has worked moderated by cost issues, says – it shouldn’t look overly fussed with.” for years with fresh herbs and aromatics in Francesco Lafranconi, Garnishes work best when they enhance Southern Wine & Spirits’ garnishes, and for a recent event made veg- the aroma and presentation of a drink, says director of mixology. etable ric racs (a sewing term for a zigzag Charlotte Voisey, who as brand ambassador for “They need to make ornament used in dressmaking), by slic- Hendrick’s Gin, creates recipes for bars, res- sense and be chosen based ing carrots with a mandoline, steaming taurants and select events. One of her popular on the beverage and food costs. them with thyme and when they cooled, drinks, the Poison Rose, features a floating rose If you use more perishable cutting them with a paring knife into shapes. petal and gold dust. While it might sound over products, like raspberries, The pieces were then adhered to the inside the top, the drink is well-balanced and robust, which after two or three days of the cocktail glass. and the garnishes fit the concept. might have a compromised aes- She’s also finished drinks with fresh basil thetic value, you must think like a leaves pinched into little vessels holding a chef, and plan to use them in other drop of balsamic vinegar and floating on the Every Detail Counts ways, like puree them and put “You want to enhance every step of the them in another drink.” top. If this sounds too complicated to em- cocktail experience–the aroma, taste, Employing other fruits means ploy at a busy bar, Banks disagrees. “I don’t mouthfeel, temperature, glassware, and the fighting oxidation. “When the create out of theory; I don’t create precious garnish–every area can be improved,” says Apple Martini was on fire, every- drinks,” she says. “I create drinks for real Voisey. “It can also be a talking point in a one wanted to cut a Granny Smith bartenders.” And she points out high-end bar and may be able to help you sell more,” apple for the drink, but they were restaurants charging $12 and up for cocktails she says. Voisey compares an effective gar- frustrated when trying to keep should be prepared for some extra execution nish to a restaurant greeter–a good first im- them fresh,” he says. Some bar- so that the customer feels satisfied that the pression makes guests feel confident about tenders discovered the apple slices drink has value. turned brown too fast; others used what’s to follow. In developing new garnishes, bar opera- too much lemon juice and found Audrey Saunders, owner of the Pegu tors should be price conscious, says Francesco the slices would cook like ceviche. Club, says effective garnishes don’t need Lafranconi suggests dried fruits Lafranconi, director of mixology for South- to be gaudy or elaborate, but should give a as a great alternative, for aroma, ern Wine & Spirits. “You need garnishes clue about what’s in the drink. “Flavor-wise, appearance and cost control. that last and do not spoil easily, whether it’s it doesn’t make sense to use an orange or He points out that some high a cucumber or savory herbs or blueberries, lemon peel if there’s nothing going on in volume operations tend to cut too which can last a week when properly refrig- the drink with those flavors; sometimes you many limes at one time and store erated.” (See sidebar.) want something with a more exotic appeal, them in jars together; when they Things could be getting even more like a piece of ginger, but it should be an in- are in extended contact with each garnish-mad, depending on your outlook. gredient in the drink.” other, the limes can cook down Are foams garnishes or ingredients? It’s a because of the high acid lime juice An example of the garnish fitting the coming question, as bartenders like Daniel and turn brown and bitter, ruining drink might be The Shogun, a mix of saké Stern from Fenouil in Portland, Oregon, ex- the next vodka and tonic served. with ginger-infused lemonade and hibiscus “I think whenever possible you periment. He uses a nitrous oxide charged syrup, finished with a lychee nut, served at should cut as you go,” he says. cream whipper to create gelatin-based Zola restaurant in Washington, DC. “The bottom line is with all these clouds for drinks such as La Grenade, made Especially when new restaurants garnishes, if it doesn’t look good with pomegranate vodka, crème de cassis open, the cocktail menu includ- to you, it doesn’t look good to and a mint cloud. “What’s nice about clouds ing house your guest.” is they bridge the gap between garnish and creations ingredient,” Stern says. has become an And recently, Remy Cointreau devel- essential. At DC’s Cosmo oped with Dale DeGroff a method that allows L’Orange, at feature not only infused spir- Restaurant K by the average bartender a chance to become a DC’s Restaurant K, its, but also signature garnish- Alison Swope, molecular mixologist and create flavored gel uses orange infused vodka es. Their Cosmo L’Orange uses or- the list of tradi- garnished with a wheel of spheres for inclusion in cocktails. Once that ange infused vodka garnished with a tional and con- blood orange jello skewered technique becomes widespread, we might wheel of blood orange jello skewered on temporary cock- on bamboo with two look back on the day of flowered drinks as the cranberries. bamboo with two cranberries. The garnish tails with a twist time when garnishes were modest. n