If you're in the hobby of making homemade cocktails and want to take your cocktail game up a notch, look no further!
You may think garnishes are too jazzy or garish, but in actuality, a good garnish is the perfect accessory that takes your drink from an average alcoholic beverage to a classy cocktail.
This is especially helpful for those who love to organise a party and want to impress guests.
House parties usually have the same kinds of beverages, like orange juice, sparkling wine or apple cider.
But why follow the norm when you can make some homemade fancy-looking cocktails?
In this article, we're going to explore the garnishes that best complement your drink while elevating aesthetics. You'll be your very own head bartender in no time!
6 Easy Ways to Make Homemade Beverages Fancy with SodaStream
Citrus Twists
Let's start with the most classic cocktail garnish - the citrus twist.
This is perhaps one of the most widely used methods in mixology as citrus is an essential element of your classic cocktail.
Just a hint of the slightly bitter oil from the citrus peel improves your cocktail's taste while lessening the sweetness of syrups (eg simple syrup) or liqueur (eg Maraschino liqueur, sweet vermouth).
You can use any kind of citrus, but the most common ones are lemon, lime and orange peel.
Work your way around the fresh fruit with a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife to remove the rind in an even spiral. For more spiral, twist in opposite directions with both hands.
You can vary the thickness of your rind peel according to the serving glass used.
For taller glasses, you can cut the spiral thickly and have it envelop the ice cubes inside of the glass.
Citrus Wheels/Slices
This is another popular garnish made by cutting about ¼-inch thick citrus slices and slicing a slit up to the centre to place on the rim of the cocktail glass.
Avoid making your slices too thin or too thick as small slices are fragile while thick slices overcrowd most glasses.
Note that slices can be whole round slices or half-slices. You can rest it on the rim as mentioned, or directly put into the glass with the drink.
We recommend you to use a sharp knife for a clean cut of the wheel and remove the seeds on the slice for a better look and drinking experience!
Pro tip: When working with citrus fruits, make sure to strain the drink through a fine mesh strainer to remove any pulp! (Learn more pro bartending tricks here!) [Link to mixology techniques article]
Fruit Wedges
Fruit wedges are the typical go-to when making cocktails such as vodka tonic or any cocktails served in a highball or margarita glass. Most bartenders would pick lime as their choice.
As you prepare for the drink, cut the wedge thicker as to squeeze more lime juice into the cocktail. The citrus wedges inside the glass will ensure a constant taste from the first sip to the last.
For example, we used grapefruit to elevate our grapefruit drink mix inspired cocktail:
While citrus are the most common, consider garnishing with unique fruits!
Localise your drinks using pineapple wedges or melon wedges. Here we used the tropical passion fruit, adding sweet and tart to the drink.
Fresh Herbs and Leaves
During hot days, you would want to make a refreshing drink to satiate your thirst.
For these types of cocktails, you would definitely want to use herbs leaves, such as mint, rosemary, thyme, lavender, or even pandan!
Not only do they enhance the flavor and aroma of the cocktail, they also improve your drink's aesthetic.
However, if you dislike the taste of herbs or leaves, you may opt for decorative leaves such as pineapple fronds. Then, you can use fresh lemon juice to get that refreshing taste.
Skewers
Skewered garnishes are suitable for many cocktails, from the olives in vodka martini to colourful fruits in a champagne cocktail.
There are many fruits you can use as skewer garnishes, such as the customary raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries. Just get some toothpicks and you've got an easy-to-prepare garnish for a house party.
Other than berries, you can also skewer olives, pickled vegetables, cheese, and slices of fruits and vegetables like cherry tomato, jalapeno, and pineapple.
If you really want to class it up, you can get some mini metal skewers instead!
Prefer your cocktails unique and natural?
Go for herbs with sturdy stems such as rosemary, thyme, and lavender in place of skewers/toothpicks. These herb skewers can also improve the overall taste of the drink.
Dressed Up Glass Rims
Dressing up the rim is a quick way to decorate a cocktail and give it more style.
For a sweeter or lighter drink, a sugared one works well. All you need is lemon or lime juice and granulated sugar.
Put the juice of the fruit on one plate and the sugar on another. Dip the rim of the glass in the liquid first, then in the sugar, and voila!
A salted rim is a better fit if you're making stronger drinks, like margarita. Change things up by using different salts like pink salt, smoked salt, or celery salt to make your cocktail taste better.
Shake things up with other flavours and spices besides salt and sugar, such as chilli powder, Milo powder, steak seasoning, cinnamon powder... The limit is your imagination!
When you mix these spices with classic cocktails, you can get more complex tastes and discover new flavour profiles.
Ace Your DIY Fancy Drinks & Impress Friends with Your Very Own SodaStream!
These garnishing skills are suitable for any drinks - experiment with mocktails (experiment with our recipes) or just jazz up your glass of soda water!
You don't even have to leave the house - with our sparkling water makers, you can get carbonated water from a bottle of tap water in just 3 seconds.
Getting a SodaStream machine will improve your life in ways that go beyond convenience.
When you mix your drinks, you decide exactly what goes into it, including the amount of sugar and the flavour, and you know there are no harmful additives.
Our classic drink mixes have only 1/3 as much sugar as storebought canned drinks. They are also a good source of vitamins B3, B6, D, and E.
For those we want to cut down on sugar, we even have a 'zeros' line!
Order now and see for yourself how fun, easy, and satisfying having a SodaStream is!
