Whether you're whipping up some cocktails, serving a batch of mocktails, or just looking for a way to elevate your everyday drinks, garnishes are your best friend. You don't have to go all out with a fancy home cocktail bar to upgrade your drinks either. In fact, you can add some pizazz to your drinks with things you might have in your fridge or cupboards already. Here, we'll be sharing some simple but effective cocktail garnish ideas that take minimal effort and cost but have maximum impact.
- Fresh and dried fruit
- Citrus peel
- Pickled vegtables
- Herbs and spices
- Chocolate shavings
- Salted or sugared rims
- Decorative ice
- Edible flowers
- How to choose the right garnish for your drink
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Fresh and dried fruit
Fruit is one of the easiest and most popular drink garnishes you can use. You'll often see drinks decorated with a wedge or slice of lemon, lime, or orange to add a citrus twist. Berries also make fantastic cocktail garnishes, whether you throw a handful into a glass with ice, or skewer two or three onto a cocktail pick and place them across the rim of your glass. For more tropical drinks, pineapple or watermelon slices add a summery look and feel to your drinks. At Christmas, sprinkle a few pomegranate seeds in the bottom of a champagne glass to bejewel your sparkling wine-based cocktails.
Alongside fresh fruit, another option is to use dried fruit. You can buy a wide range of dehydrated fruit from most grocery stores, including dried mango, pineapple, apple, and strawberries. However, you can easily make your own dried fruit at home in your oven. This is a great way to use up and preserve any overripe fruit in your fruit bowl, as well as add a creative spin to your cocktail garnishes.
To dehydrate fruit at home, simply preheat your oven to around 120°F. Slice large fruits into thin slices and lay them flat on a baking tray. You can keep smaller fruits like berries whole. Place your fruit in the oven and bake for at least six hours until the fruit has shriveled and has a chewy texture. Once dried, take your fruit out of the oven and leave to cool. It should keep well in an airtight container for up to 12 months.
Citrus peel
Citrus peel is another easy cocktail garnish that takes minimal effort but offers maximum impact. Simply use a paring knife or vegetable peeler to remove a small strip of peel. Try not to include too much of the pith as this can taste bitter. If you do take too much pith, you can carefully remove some with a knife. You can also trim the edges to neaten the shape of the peel if you like. Then, simply twist the peel in your hands or around a long skewer, then place the twist gently on the edge of your glass or in your drink to add some visual ap-peel.
You don't have to limit yourself to citrus peel either. Cucumber or rhubarb ribbons work great in refreshing gin- or cucumber-based cocktails. You can skewer your ribbons on a cocktail stick or line the inside of a large or small tumbler with your fruit before serving your drinks. View our rose, rhubarb, and juniper mocktail recipe to see this in full effect.
Preserved vegetables and fruits
While fruit adds a sweet garnish to your cocktails, some drinks call for something a little stronger. Savory cocktails like a dirty martini may call for bitter, salty, or acidic garnishes such as olives to bring out the salty brine used in the cocktail. Pickles also make great garnishes for tangy cocktails like a Bloody Mary. If you'll be using a short celebration or cocktail glass, skewer your pickled ingredient on a garnish pick and add it to your drink. For taller drinks, lay your skewered vegetables over the rim of the glass.
Another variation of the preserved and pickled garnish is the maraschino cherry, also called a cocktail cherry. These are cherries that are soaked in brine to bleach them and then soaked in sugar syrup. The sugar syrup often also contains red food coloring which is what gives cocktail cherries their distinct bright hue. You can buy these in jars in most grocery stores and they work especially well in whiskey-based drinks like a Manhattan, whiskey sour, or old fashioned, or mocktails made with grenadine.
Herbs and spices
While you might be used to adding fresh herbs to your favorite meals, did you know you can add them as cocktail garnishes too? Although many popular drinks like a mojito include herbs as a main ingredient, you can also add fresh herb garnishes to other drinks. For instance, the peppery notes of basil work well with gin-based cocktails or those with strawberry or watermelon, while the earthy flavors of thyme and rosemary balance citrus drinks, particularly those with lemon. Better yet, you can grow your own herbs at home, ready to use them as mocktail and cocktail garnishes whenever you need them.
Similarly, spices can add a twist to certain cocktails, especially those containing spiced rum or whiskey. Additions like a cinnamon stick, cloves, or star anise can bring out the warm spicy notes of these spirits, as well as add a festive touch to hot Christmas cocktails and drinks like a hot toddy or a mug of hot chocolate.
Chocolate shavings
Indulgent drinks, like a creamy cocktail or dessert drink, call for more luxurious drink garnishes and decorations. While simple, some chocolate shavings can add a professional touch to your drinks that's very easy to achieve — just take a bar of chocolate and grate a little with a cheese grater. A handheld grater is best for this, but you can use any grater you already have. Another option is to create chocolate curls by shaving your chocolate using a vegetable peeler.
Salted or sugared rims
Adding salt or sugar to the rims of your glasses not only offers visual interest to your cocktail decoration, but also enhances the flavor of your drinks. The addition of salt can bring out a subtle sweetness in bitter drinks like a negroni or amplify the sourness in a margarita and other citrus-based drinks, creating an overall more balanced flavor profile. Similarly, sugar can cut through particularly tart drinks.
To decorate the rims of your glasses, sprinkle a good amount of salt or sugar on a small plate. Wet the rim of your glass with citrus juice, dip or roll it in the salt or sugar, and shake off any excess. To add even more wow-factor to your drinks, add a couple of drops of food coloring to your salt or sugar, or additions with a kick of flavor such as cinnamon or chili powder. Alternatively, swap your salt or sugar for another ingredient such as coconut, chocolate flakes, freeze-dried raspberries, or crushed candy canes.
Edible flowers
A sprinkling of edible flowers can take your cocktail presentation to the next level, adding a beautiful garden-inspired flourish. Edible flowers can be bought in small containers online or in some specialty stores, so you'll need to plan ahead if this is the kind of drinks garnish you want to use — but the effect is well worth the effort. You might also be able to pick some flowers from your garden. Just be sure not to pick any flowers that have been treated with herbicides. Some common edible garden flowers include:
- Pansies
- Roses
- Elderflower
- Daisies
- Scented geraniums
- Sweet violet
- Primrose
- Herb flowers such as mint, basil, borage, and lavender
Gently dip your flowers in cool water to rinse off any dirt and pat them dry, then cut the flowers from the stem. For large flowers, remove the petals and discard the rest.
Another option is to use dried flowers such as dried rose petals. These are more readily available and can be bought in some grocery stores but, if you have roses in your garden, you can dry them yourself in the microwave. Simply separate the petals and lay them on a sheet of kitchen paper. Place everything on a microwaveable plate (all Denby Made in England tableware is microwave-safe) and microwave in 30-second intervals. Keep checking your petals after each interval until they have dried out.
Decorative ice
If you're planning your cocktail or drink garnishes in advance, decorative ice is easy to pull off but highly effective. Simply add any garnishes of your choice into an ice cube tray, fill it with water, and freeze. Berries, herbs, and edible flowers work well for this cocktail decoration idea. Freezing your garnishes into ice cubes is also a great way to preserve ripe fruit and fresh herbs until you're ready to use them.
How to choose the right garnish for your drink
Drink garnishes aren't always just about decoration. The aroma and flavors from your garnish can bring your cocktail or mocktail to the next level, so you might want to match your garnishes to the flavors in your drink.
The easiest way to do this is to pick out one key flavor and garnish with that. For example, garnish with lemon peel or a lemon wedge for a lemonade-based cocktail or mocktail or add orange slices to your Aperol spritz. Another option is to choose a garnish that will balance out the flavors in your drink. Some classic drink and garnish pairings include:
- Vodka: Olives, lemon, cucumber, pickled vegetables, thyme, basil, rosemary
- Gin: Lemon, lime, juniper berries, mint, grapefruit, basil, cucumber
- Tequila: Lime, salt, jalapeño, pineapple, grapefruit, basil, cilantro
- Whiskey: Maraschino cherries, orange, cinnamon, apple, lemon, mint
- Rum: Lime, pineapple, cinnamon, maraschino cherries, mint
- Tonic: lemon, lime, grapefruit, orange
- Cola: Lemon, lime
- Ginger ale: Orange, lemon
From zesty citrus twists to aromatic herbs and vibrant edible flowers, there are so many ways you can decorate your drinks. These cocktail garnish ideas take very little effort — and you may have everything you need in your fridge or cupboard already — but they can instantly elevate your everyday and party drinks.
With Denby's exquisite range of glassware, including gin glasses and wine glasses, plus a few creative garnishes, the stage is set for you to master the art of decorating cocktails. Raise your mixology game and transform every sip into a sensory experience that reflects your unique style and flair.
If you'll be serving your cocktails alongside a meal at a dinner party, then you’ll no doubt want your food to look just as impressive as your drinks. To wow your guests with your home-cooked dishes, check out our 17 themed dinner party ideas that will help tie everything together and add some fun to your home entertaining.