Garnish

A cocktail garnish is the twist, wheel, wedge, cherry or sprig added to a drink for its look, smell or taste.

Also called: flag · cherry flag · cocktail garnish · garnishing

Common garnish forms: twist, wheel, wedge, flag, cherry, olive, herb sprig
Flag: half an orange slice and a cherry on a pick

What garnish means

You meet a garnish on the rim, in the glass or laid across it, and sometimes on a pick. The common forms are twist, wheel, wedge, flag, cherry, olive and herb sprig. Each form has its own job in the drink, from a bright smell to a bit of color.

A lot of home bartenders assume a garnish is only decoration. An expressed peel, a mint sprig or a salt rim changes the smell and taste of the drink, so the garnish is part of the drink. You may notice the smell of a mint sprig before the first sip, which is the point.

There is no fixed list of garnishes, so no single count is official. The flag is the classic topper for sours and Collins drinks. Its orange slice and cherry make a bright shape across the rim that you see before you taste anything.

How to garnish a cocktail

You need a sharp knife, a cutting board and, for a flag, a cocktail pick. Choose the garnish that suits the drink.

1.Match the garnish to the drink. Use citrus peel for spirit-forward and citrus drinks, mint for juleps and smashes, and olives for a Martini.
2.Make a flag by pushing a pick through one side of a half orange slice, then through a cherry, then through the other side of the orange.
3.Rest the flag across the rim of the glass.
4.Cut citrus garnishes fresh for each round.
5.Wake a mint sprig with a light slap between your palms before setting it in the drink.

Garnish compared

FlagA flag is a cocktail pick with half an orange slice and a cherry, laid across the rim. Sours and Collins drinks often wear one.
RimA rim coats the glass edge with salt or sugar. Other garnishes go into the drink or float on top of it.
Express a peelAn expressed peel is a garnish you smell more than see. Its oil changes the first sip.

Related terms

Ingredients

Put it to use in your next drink

Garçon explains every step as you make the drink.