Garnish are essential part of beverage decoration and its a basic skill to set. Learning how to prepare garnish specially of citrus one is easy yet very essential to know as it is used in almost all of the cocktails you will create behind the bar .
If you are not even a professional , No worries. It doesn't matter because now cocktail has found its way to home from bars .So knowledge of basic garnish preperation ia a good skill to have . This is essential skill so as to give a finishing touch to your cocktail presentation and believe it will set your cocktail apart from others and you all know that looks matter !!
Generally the basic garnish ingredients like lemon , lime and orange garnish is used to add an extra hint of citrus to a cocktail and if at all it does not use one than that complements the drink .
Selecting citrus garnish for cocktails :
For short drink like " Martini with lemon juice " , delicate lemon twist is perfect .
If its cocktail in Hiball glass such as "screwdriver", a large slice of ornage would likely be best .
Always synchronise drink's ingredients, colour and garnish as they than complement each other resulting in increasing visual appeal of drink .
Preparation of Garnish :
- Cutting citrus slice - Most common and easiest garnish to create as it require only one cut per garnish and can get many slices out of a single pieces of fruit.
- Wedge for cocktails : Wedges is a popular cut and a great garnish for tall cocktails as it add more juice and pulp to the garnish . It is a popular cut for lime because the thicker pulp gives the drinker an option to squeeze more juice into the drink if the desire beside adding c
onsistent flavour from 1st sip to last when dropped into glass .
If you want to rest garnish on the rim of glass than You have to have cut a slit in wedges and slices .
Remember when you are slitting than just go halfway through the fruit or else it can easily fall apart and if it is too shallow than garnish may not get proper balance and may fall of the rim .
Cut a Citrus Peel Spiral : The twist or spiral is as elegant, more delicate garnish that creates a twist from a strip of citrus peel. It is used most often with lemons and oranges, but a lime twist is not uncommon. A canelle knife is the best tool for making clean citrus spiral garnishes.
This garnish is one of the trickiest to perfect and the best advice is to practice, practice, practice (using the leftover fruit for juicing to avoid waste). Eventually, you will get the feel for it.
Some people like to use a pairing knife, though I find that a canelle (or channel) knife is the easiest tool to use and makes a more uniform, crisper twist.
Steps to creat a Citrus Twist
- Hold a whole fruit in the palm of your hand with a tight grip.
- Cut a canelle or pairing knife into the orange peel, digging just deep enough so you do not grab too much of the white pith.
- With a smooth, even motion, roll the orange around in your hand, continuing to cut a strip of the peel with the zester as you go.
- Stop when you have the desired length or until the peel cuts off naturally.
- Roll the strip of peel into a spiral.
- Form as tight of a spiral as you can without breaking the peel and give it a gentle squeeze, remembering that it will loosen up when you let go.
- To keep your twists tighter, drop them into a glass of ice water immediately after creating the spiral.
Follow the same thought for oranges, choosing the smaller oranges for spirals and saving larger oranges for slices, wedges, and juicing.
Flaming orange peel : Its a fun bar trick and flaming orange peel is a great way to add flare to your drinks.
The orange peel is used as a garnish for the subtle oils in the peel, which accent the flavors of a cocktail. If you like, you can also make a little show out by expressing the oils over a flame.
Using a pairing knife, cut at least 1 inch wide and no more than 2 inches long into the orange peel, cutting into the pith just a bit.
Rub the peel around the rim of the glass and drop it into the drink.
How to Flame an Orange Peel
- Hold the orange peel between your thumb and forefinger, with the peel facing out.
- Light a match or lighter, holding it about 2 inches from the peel and over top of the cocktail glass (with finished drink).
- Squeeze the peel sharply and watch as the oils spurt out, catch the flame, and create a small fireball over your cocktail.
- Rub the peel around the rim of the glass and drop it into the drink.
This is a technique that will require practice, but with patience it will come to you. But always remember, fire and alcohol can be volatile in combination so extra care must be taken if cocktail is topped with a high-proof liquor .
