Ask a Bartender: Is Garnish Really Necessary?

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Pam Martin - GoLocal Worcester Ask Your Bartender Columnist

First, let’s be clear. A garnish is any type of embellishment that is not an ingredient that is used in the mix to make the drink. It can be edible or inedible.

It is not necessary for beers. For a select few beers, adding a garnish is a nice touch, and can compliment the brew really well, but nothing is lost in a beer that doesn’t come complete with a garnish. Some people want that orange slice with their Blue Moon because they really just want a snack – a little Vitamin C boost. Others will swear up and down that if you don’t have fresh blueberries the Wachusett Blueberry will not taste the same. If you are looking to experiment, there are plenty of options. In fruit beers, a citrus garnish does enhance the light fruit flavors. Of course, there are more options than fruit. A cinnamon-sugar rim with a pumpkin-flavored beer in the October? Absolutely. Swap that out for a cocoa rim with a vanilla stout in January? Sure. A cherry in a classic lager? No thanks.

Garnish in mixed drinks is a toss up. Many classic cocktails are not complete until they have been garnished. Sometimes it’s just for show, or because it’s “just how it’s always been done”, and sometimes it really is to enhance the flavors of ingredients. It’s the finishing touch for well-crafted drink recipes.

Ultimately, it’s all about personal preference of the patron. There are some people who don’t think a drink is complete without a garnish, and some who immediately remove it and kindly leave it on the bar top for you. A gin and tonic is a classic drink that is best garnished with a lime. Tequila-based drinks are typically paired with lime or tropical fruits to balance out the fruit juices traditionally mixed in. Whiskey drinks generally don’t need a garnish. If there is fruit in a whiskey drink, it’s an ingredient. For example, an Old Fashioned actually calls for an orange slice and a cherry to be muddled in with the other ingredients. A fresh orange and cherry garnish are added after the drink is poured for that finishing touch.

In general, rum and vodka drinks are the best drinks to garnish. Here are a few rum and vodka based drinks that are better with garnish.

Vodka-Soda. Add in all the lemons and limes you want without the sugary guilt. You can enjoy naturally sweet flavors without succumbing to the lure of soda or juice.
Bloody Mary. Celery, pickle spear, bacon strip. Go wild. There are endless possibilities for this brunch favorite.
Dark & Stormy. Add a lime. Squeeze it in. Mash it with your straw. Whichever you please. One lime goes a long way.

Pam Martin bartends at Compass Tavern at 90 Harding Street in Worcester every Friday night and Sunday afternoon.