Garnishes are the ‘jewelry’ of a drink – they help make a statement, but a little can go a long way. 

Here are some easy-to-do accents for any beverage you’re serving.

ROSEMARY SKEWERED PEACH

When I look for rosemary at the grocery store, I always seek out the longest spears possible. (Even better, plant it in your yard! It smells amazing and grows to be sturdy and plentify.) In the case of this peach bellini mocktail, I used a chopstick to poke a small hole in a peach or nectarine slice, and pull the rosemary through! It always draws a gasp from anyone who grabs a glass.

APPLES, SLICED, SKEWERED AND SWIRLED

This is so easy. With the help of a skewer, just a simple twist of stacked apples turns into something simple, delicious and eye catching.

EDIBLE FLOWERS, TWO WAYS

Edible flowers can be bought online or at some grocery stores (I often see them in the herb section at whole foods.) Don’t by them from the flower section, as they often have insecticides on them.

Once you find them, drizzling a few on top (don’t overdo it – they’re more attractive than they are flavorful) or poking through a piece of dried fruit can take your drink to the next level! (Or, buy edible food glue (bake shops and amazon) and attach them to the rim or the fruit directly. In one case here, the drink is further enhanced with a crushed candy powder rim. The second drink, below is from Domingo in San Antonio, and it’s a delicious combo of tamarind soda, tequila, and more.

CUKES AND CUBES

When I really wanted to take spa water to the next level, I decided to cut a cucumber into squares, hence the name ‘cuke cubes’. But the simple stunner here is when you take an english cucumber (they’re long and wrapped in plastic at the store because their thing is skin and delicate – and use a vegetable peeler to create a long strip. Layer into a scroll and skewer it… carefully unfold it a bit and you’ve got an eye catching garnish!

HERB IT UP

There’s something beautiful about a sprig of a dry herb resting on a cocktail glass. In this case, thai basil, but a sprig of lavender or thyme also look distinctive resting on top of a foamy drink, plus a slice of lime, takes the drink to the next level. In this case, a partially salted rim rounds out the flavor profile. This cocktail is from the Weho Bistro and I won’t soon forget it.

I hope a few of these inspire you to try something new with your mocktails and cocktails!

To me, this tops a margarita.

Whenever I step up to a bar, I immediately ask if they have mezcal. If the answer is yes, that’s where the fun begins.

Mezcal is made from agave. Where tequila is only made from BLUE agave, mezcal benefits from a broader range of agave, (plus its traditional preparation in small batches) it’s the smoky flavor that really makes this a standout.

According to Wikipedia: “The process begins by harvesting the plants, which can weigh 40 kg each, extracting the piña, or heart, by cutting off the plant’s leaves and roots.^[12] The piñas are then cooked for about three days, often in pit ovens, which are earthen mounds over pits of hot rocks. This underground roasting gives mezcal its intense and distinctive smoky flavor.”

But let’s not get lost in science – let’s get drinking!

While better bars are now designing mezcal cocktails on their menus, essentially, I will ask them to replace tequila in any cocktail and replace it with mezcal. To me, the smokiness is THAT GOOD.

When I stepped into WeHo Bistro in West Hollywood, bartender Chase (@WolfStroganoff on insta) hooked me up with the best Mezcal Paloma I’ve had in recent memory. I drink enough that recent memory can be a very short amount of time, 😉 but it really was spectacular.

Here’s how he made it with the tweaks of mezcal instead of tequila and salt at my request:

2 ounces mezcal

1 ounce grapefruit juice

1 ounce lime juice

1/2 ounce simple syrup

At my request, salt.

Cuz WeHo Bistro is classy like that, an edible flower gets smacked right on top of it .

Cmon that thing is gorgeous.

The drink is one that’s easy to make at home, summery, fresh and crisp, and the smokiness makes it equally great in fall and winter.

Try it out!

Also try the WeHo bistro because that Greek Salad I had was crazy good.

If you enter the fall season kicking and screaming, this drink may help. I get it, summer is a blast, but autumn is great too. This cocktail combines some of my favorite flavors: bourbon, maple, and ginger.

Before you get all weird about using Maple Syrup in your drink, remember that tons of drinks use simple syrup – essentially, liquid sugar – so this is no different, but doubly delicious.

Here’s how to make it yourself: (makes one cocktail, get ready to double it because you’ll want to share one with a friend!)

FALL FOR THIS: A Maple Bourbon Ginger Splash

September 15, 2021

by brianbalthazar

Category Cocktails

Persons

1

Serving Size

1 drink

Ingredients

• INGREDIENTS:
• 2 ounces Bourbon
• 2 tablespoons Maple Syrup (all natural, organic if you can find it!)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Ginger beer
• Light brown sugar (for the rim of the glass)
• Lemon twist as garnish

Instructions

1. Start by putting a rim of light brown sugar on your glass. (I use a cocktail glass - double old fashioned - not a tall pint glass - that much bourbon in one drink would destroy me!) You can get the sugar to stick to your glass by dipping just the rim into some syrup on a plate, or by using a lemon wedge and dragging it around the rim, and dipping just the edge of the glass on a plate of some brown sugar. Once the rim is all coated in sugary goodness, put a few ice cubes in there, and put the glass aside for now, it's time to get shakin'.
2. In a shaker full of ice, combine the bourbon, maple syrup, and lemon juice and do what you do best: Shake it.
3. Pour the shaken ingredients into your glass. You should have a little room to put a splash of ginger beer in there. If you're totally hardcore, don't even bother with the ginger beer, but I like a little sparkle in there. Stop making fun of me.
4. Put a little twist of lemon rind in there. There are a bunch of fancy ways to do this, but I just cut a little rind off a lemon with a veggie peeler and twist it a little bit with my fingers and toss it in there. After all, I'm thirsty and just want a drink, already.

Tags

Alcoholic,

Autumn,

Bar,

Cocktails,

Drinks,

Fall,

Featured,

Sparkly

Enjoy! Hope you like it!