The crown of your cocktail- the garnish

New Delhi, April 16  For people yearning for the Instagram-worthy drink, one thing that needs more attention is the garnish.

There are several recipes to create that perfect cocktail, but the garnish often remains an afterthought. A trend long due, today’s cocktail culture places much importance on this small yet important aspect of a cocktail. IANSlife spoke to the expert, Afzal Kaba, Brand Ambassador, Diageo India, to get the right advice.

In today’s visual world, the garnish can surely help you garner those hearts you’ve been waiting for on your profile. A garnish can be as simple as a slice of lime, olive or an orange twist, adding a pop of colour and touch of flavour. Flowers, herbs, a simple leaf or in some cases bacon can instantly transform a seemingly plain looking cocktail into a work of art and thereby a subject of discussion. It”s simple, a visually appealing drink garners attention!

But that is just the tip of the surface as to why a garnish is important.

In addition to the visual appeal a garnish has, it provides an insight into your skills in creating the perfect complete drink, with flair and drama. But the depth of a garnish is in the aroma and flavour it adds to a drink. Citrus like lemons, and oranges add just the right amount of acidity to the drink. In fact, most garnishes act as a subtle flavour enhancer, like your secret to a good cocktail.

“While we responsibly quarantine with time on our side, I”m going to take you through simple ways to garnish cocktails with ingredients you’ll easily find at home, to enhance your cocktail experience both visually and taste-wise,” says Afzal Kaba.

While garnishes can be edible and non-edible, we’ll focus on the edible ones. Let”s consider the edible garnishes that are readily available, and can be divided into the below categories, adds Kaba.

Read on to learn the recipes:

Aroma enhancer: These are the garnishes that uplift the fragrance if used over a drink in the following ways –

Method 1

Grated: Cinnamon, nutmeg and star anise grated over a drink enhances the overall fragrance while masking unwanted smells of a few ingredients that may be a part of a cocktail.

The Classic Whisky Sour

Ingredients:

60ml Johnnie Walker Black Label

15ml fresh lime juice

15ml sugar syrup

1 egg white (optional)

Method: Add ice cubes in a cocktail shaker or a large vessel and shake well. Strain into a whisky glass over the ice and add a fine grate of cinnamon or nutmeg powder.

Method 2

Spray / Tap / Rub:

Spraying of oils by twisting an orange peel, lemon peel, kaffir lime peel/leaf or curry leaf

Banging or rubbing of the above ingredients will also release some oils and essence over and around the glass

Other garnishes that lend a fragrance adopting the same method are – mint sprigs, rosemary, coriander sprig, parsley, kaffir lime leaf, etc.

Johnnie Walker Highball

Ingredients:

60ml Johnnie Walker Red Label

Soda (to top up)

Method: Fill a highball glass or a tall glass with lots of ice. Pour in the scotch and top it up with chilled soda. Stir gently, and spray lemon/orange oils followed by a tap on the glass with kafir or mint leaves and place it on top of the drink.

Method 3

Burned: Lighting a few herbs and spices and placing it over a drink will give a smoky hue – rosemary, cinnamon, nutmeg, and star anise.

Johnnie and Apple

Ingredients:

60ml Johnnie Walker Double Black Label

Top up with apple juice

Method: Fill a glass with cubed ice, pour in the scotch and fruit juice. Grate some cinnamon and stir it into the drink. Carefully burn a cinnamon stick and place it on the glass.

Flavour enhancer: Flavour depends on aroma so all the above ingredients can be used to enhance flavour as well if used in the following ways:

Method 1

Rim: In this process, we first wet the rim of the glass used to make the cocktail using lime, oranges or any syrup and then dip it in a fine powder of salt, sugar, salt & chili powder mix, salt & pepper mix, sugar and coffee mix or chaat masala.

Method 2

Squeeze Stir or Float:

There are ingredients which can change or balance flavours of the drink, such as a lemon wedge if squeezed

Lime, grapefruit or orange slices can be used to float on the top of the drink as this releases their flavour into the cocktail

Chocolate or coconut curls grated over a cocktail adds to the taste and overall drinking experience

Red/green chili when slit and attached to the rim of the glass adds a tinge of heat when used to stir the drink

Smoky Chocky Walky

Ingredients:

60ml Johnnie Walker Double Black Label

1 spoon chocolate sauce

Grated chocolate

Method: Take a whisky glass and add one teaspoon of a chocolate sauce, add in the whisky and stir to mix and dissolve the chocolate. Once dissolved, add ice cubes and stir well. Grate a dark chocolate piece on top of the drink & serve.

Method 3

Garnish to Bite: Fruits, vegetables, sweets or snacks that are ready to eat can be placed over the drink, used with a cocktail stick/clip or balanced on the rim or over ice. For example, cut a slim slice of the following fruit and vegetables – pineapple, watermelon, banana, cucumber, beetroot or radish. Sweets and snacks that can be used are – kit kat sticks, ginger candy, marshmallows, nachos, Kurkure or biscuits.

Johnnie Old Fashioned

Ingredients:

60ml Johnnie Walker Black Label

1 tsp of honey

Method: Take a whisky glass and add one teaspoon of honey, add Johnnie Walker Black Label and stir well until the honey dissolves. Once dissolved, add ice cubes and stir well. Add available fruit on top of the drink & serve.