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drink  dress- ups a brief guide to  garnishing cocktails  | 1 2 3 4 5

'Fess up now: you’re just a little looks-biased when it comes to cocktails, aren’t you? A perfectly executed martini isn’t nearly as nice if it’s served up in a plastic cup rather than a delicately-stemmed, crystal-clear cocktail glass. And there’s a tiny part of you that loves those cheesy pina coladas you only order when you go to the local tiki lounge, not the least because it comes with a teetering totem pole of a fruit garnish topped with the requisite mini-umbrella. Face it: the appeal of a cocktail is as much in how it looks as how it tastes. And when it comes to cocktail appearances, it’s the garnish that provides that final finishing touch of essential cocktail flair.

what you’ll need
good paring knife | A sharp knife makes all the difference in the world. Invest in one.
cutting board
toothpicks and/or wooden skewers

citrus garnishes for cold drinks
Limes, lemons and oranges are probably the most-frequently used cocktail garnishes, handy for a wide range of recipes. You can cut them any which way you like, of course, but here are a few of the traditional standards …

wedge | If you’ve ever cut an orange to eat, then you already know how to slice a wedge: it’s the most basic of citrus garnish shapes. The wedge isn’t as elegant as the wheel, but for drinks that’ll taste better with a good splash of citrus juice (those gin and tonics, for example), it’s the garnish of choice, as it’s a whole lot easier to squeeze between the fingers. To serve a drink with a wedge, cut a small slit in the fleshy fruity part so that you can rest the wedge on the lip of the glass.
use with:  cuba libre, gin and tonic,  gimlet, kamikaze, tequila gimlet, vodka gimlet

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