Thursday, April 2, 2015

What is in a Garnish?

     I find it funny how some people pas so little attention to the garnish on a cocktail.  The truth is that the customer seems to be more impressed with the appearance of a cocktail when it is presented to them than they are when tasting it.  

     Appearance is paramount when it comes to making a good cocktail.   You can be the greatest mixologist in the world, but if you drinks lack the "curb appeal" they are not going to sell.   I find it very interesting how customers are more interested in taking pictures of their cocktails and sending them to their friends on the social media that they are taking that first taste.   The garnish is a big part of that.

    Garnishes are as varied as the people that stand behind the bar and create the

cocktails.  You can find anything and everything hung on cocktail glasses to draw attention to the glass.   I've seen everything from batteries to a chicken  used as a garnish on a cocktail, but what it is isn't nearly as important as how it embellishes the "eye appeal" of the cocktail.  


     Whether you garnish for the  "shock factor" or for just plain pleasing
the eye of the customer, the garnish is every bit as important and the cocktail itself.  You bring the customer in with their eyes as well as their palates and noses, so
don't for get to finish your cocktails with an appropriate garnish.