My Cocktails Get A Quirky Touch When I Garnish Them Like This
Garnishes are now far from being ingredients which are just added on top of finished drinks as a flavourful flourish. As mixology cultures have evolved, garnishes have also become just as eclectic, just as modern – and just as important. Making cocktails at home is now as much about blending drink ingredients in the right proportion as they are about coming up with adornments that level-up the appearance of the cocktail.
For me, this modern day trend of garnishing drinks right has arrived as the most exciting moment in mixology. Finally, there is an element within mixology where I can be as spontaneous and eclectic as the weather on a monsoon day and craft chic, modern mixes with rather beautiful and unexpected decoratives on top.
Now, I garnish my citrusy drinks with sweet elements like chocolate chips and my bitter creamy cocktails like Irish coffee with a salty and crispy potato wafer. This is more than just building drinks with garnishes contrasting their flavour notes. In fact, this exercise is more about self-expression through an ingredient – if it looks cheeky enough, if it is bright enough and if it is chic enough, it is going on top of my cocktails.
Moody Garnishes That Work
And what’s most interesting about these adornments is that they are seldom planned beforehand. While I do think about the cocktails I would blend, I leave the garnishes to the last-minute and to the spontaneity that comes from being inspired by all the mixology ingredients scattered around me.
So, no two palomas look the same on two different occasions – sometimes it is garnished with a red chilli, if I am feeling particularly adventurous, at other times it is finished off with black salt, as a fun, unexpected touch that spells a party vibe.
And on some occasions, ‘whatever’s leftover in my fridge’ is a philosophy that guides my garnishes which can literally mean anything from watermelon rinds to mint chutney drizzles to tamarind syrups. What’s eclectic about this is the drinks they attempt to adorn. One time, a mint chutney garnish on a classic gin and tonic turned this drink from a sparkling, botanical-infused cocktail to a spicy, zingy and slightly pungent drink complete with the umami and minty flavour of the chutney.
Another time, I used a leftover fried, stuffed chilli to garnish a bloody mary. These stuffed chillies are sun dried and infused with lots of spices. They act as garnishes or flavour enhancers in recipes like curd rice. This leftover chilli resting in a tempering of curry leaves and mustard was immediately put over a savoury bloody mary and this combination actually led to a drink full of tangy, earthy and very deep, umami flavours.
Also Read: How Cocktail Garnish Elevates Cocktails – Key Tips & Variations To Know About
Just One Thing
For me, this eclectic garnishing game is all about minimalism. It is just that one element or that one quirk which is quite enough to swiftly change the profile of the drink that is being blended. A lone tulsi leaf on top of a vodka and soda mixture infuses it with an herbal, aromatic touch or a sprinkling of cumin powder on the classic margarita is enough to lend it a desi twist.
That one characteristic element ought to be adequately prone to making the drink seem that much more dramatic. A whole host of ingredients has never worked in my favour – a lime wedge dipped in jaggery plus a mint sprig plus a ginger wedge on top of a negroni was not just a plot twist on one fateful evening, it was character assassination! Ok, exaggeration aside, but too many garnishes take away from the customisation, and make the drink feel too crowded.
Garnishes needn’t be excess, they just have to be interesting enough to express oneself. Every time I blend a cocktail, I scan the fridge, assess my mood and add that one little flourish which spells me. And just like that, cocktails get quirky, look nice and feel layered.
Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.
