Top of the Glass

Creative beverage garnishes attract attention and improve sales

By Camille Stagg, Special to R&I -- Restaurants & Institutions, 10/1/2004

Edible beverage garnishes have moved out of the glass to become culinary sides in some establishments. In, on or alongside the glass, a well-chosen garnish is a clue to the beverage’s ingredients. Whether flavoring or accessorizing a drink, the right garnish gets attention.

“You can look across the room at a drink and the garnish symbolizes the drink and what’s in it,” says Bryan Feigenbaum, bar manager at Seasons Restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco.

He shops for seasonal produce then creates fruit purées for such drinks as Frozen Mango Margarita, which is served with dried mango slices. It’s labor-intensive, but the fresh ingredients make a difference. “Drinks, like dishes, take planning,” Feigenbaum says. “A drink should be beautiful, but most important is flavor balance and consistency.”

Tomato, mozzarella and basil adorn Caprese Martinis at Encore Liquid Lounge. Kirsch strawberries accompany Bubbly Martinis at Viand Bar & Kitchen (top).

His seasonal libations sell well—approximately 150 a month at $14 each. Frozen Berry Cosmos showcase fresh raspberries blended with vodka, orange liqueur, lime and cranberry juices. Whole berries are dropped into the glass and served sugared on the side with a lime wheel. Frost Bite Martini—grape vodka, white grape juice, ice wine and a drop of cassis—is served in a sugar-rimmed martini glass with frozen green grapes.

Ali-Oli Restaurant in Atlanta is known for its specialty drinks served with unique garnishes, created by owner Ophelia Santos and her bar manager.

“Presentation helps sell a drink,” says Santos. The fall menu features a Bloody Maria [made with tequila] with a poblano-chile “grasshopper” garnish. The signature Caffé Ali-Oli blends hot coffee with orange and chocolate liqueurs. Capped with whipped cream, the drink’s crowning glories are white-and-dark-chocolate-covered candied orange peel disks on picks with candied orange rind. “Add the garnish last to prevent it from melting,” she advises.

Simple Sells
The lengthy fall menu developed by Paul Saliba, beverage manager at The Ritz-Carlton Chicago, uses a variety of simple garnishes—from traditional lime wedges and mint to apple wedges and chocolate cigarettes. Last fall he paid tribute to football, with the 3rd and 1, a combination of gin, lemon liqueur and raspberry wine garnished with two raspberries on a pick.

He also created nine holiday dessert drinks to honor Santa’s reindeer. All eggnog-based and made with different spirits, the drinks were garnished with chocolate cigarettes and edible pansies.

For his fall menu, Tim Halbert, bar manager of Brasserie in New York City, invented a unique garnish for his Dirty Bloody Mary: Skewers of cold, peppered steak cubes accent the olive-infused vodka.

“I keep my drinks simple, not gimmicky,” he says. The Saketini—pepper vodka, sake and tomato water (clear tomato juice)—gets a special candied teardrop yellow tomato garnish that hangs on the glass.

Java drinks get sundae-style toppings at Caribou Coffee (top); Ali-Oli Restaurant is known for distinctive, Mediterranean garnishes (above).

Garnishes grow to snacks at Viand Bar & Kitchen in Chicago. Culinary Cocktails ($13) are savory or sweet martinis served on metal trays with sidecars of edible garnishes emphasizing the drink’s ingredients. Savory martinis include Above and Viand (vodka and dry vermouth with Roquefort olive), while Raspberry Lemonade (raspberry vodka and liqueur garnished with raspberries and blackberries) and Crème Brûlée (vanilla vodka and crème brûlée liqueur with mini crème brûlées) are sweet martinis.

Silly Sells
“My office is a bar,” jokes J. Ruth, director of beverage development for ShowTenders, Tampa, Fla., which develops cocktails and bar concepts for foodservice clients. Ruth created the “garnimal” concept for five-unit, Tampa-based Cheeseburger in Paradise. “Garnimal is a word we created to describe drink garnishes that resemble animals,” explains Ruth. “It’s silly, but customers love them.”

The namesake Cheeseburger in Paradise drink is an elaborate layered concoction for two served in a giant martini glass. It features a piña colada island, blue-liqueur sea and a banana ski plane.

Appearance also counts when marketing nonalcoholic beverages. “There needs to be a marriage between quality products and presentation,” says Matthew Milletto, director of a Portland, Ore., school that trains bartenders to make hot and nonalcoholic drinks.

He focuses on “Latte Art,” the traditional Italian way of serving latte and cappuccino. “A European-style steaming pitcher is required to ‘paint’ designs, the most common of which are hearts and rosettes.” he says. Garnishes include flavored whipped creams; chocolate curls; chocolate-covered espresso beans; cinnamon sticks; and chocolate, caramel or fruit syrups drizzled over whipped cream. A White Chocolate Lemon Truffle drink might get a citrus curl on whipped cream drizzled with white-chocolate syrup.

Minneapolis-based Caribou Coffee, with 275 stores in 10 states, has several java creations that are reminiscent of favorite childhood confections. Peanut Butter Cup Cooler, coffee blended with peanut-butter cups and ice, is topped with whipped cream and the candy. The chain’s Hot Wild Drinks include the Caramel High Rise: hot espresso, caramel syrup and steamed milk, capped with whipped cream and a caramel drizzle.

It’s “not recommended by four out of five dentists,” jokes Chris Toal, Caribou’s vice president of marketing.

Pro Pointers

”A garnish symbolizes the drink and what’s in it,” says Bryan Feigenbaum of the Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco. “Our Vanilla Colada has a vanilla pod accent, and Monkey Business [dark rum, banana liqueur, puréed bananas] is topped with shaved coconut and served with banana chips.”
Pair drinks with bar food, he suggests. The hotel’s Lemongrass Gingertini [lemongrass-infused vodka, lemon and lime juices] is featured with sushi.

Flirt with fantasy. Whimsical garnishes lighten the mood and stimulate sales, says J. Ruth, director of beverage development for ShowTenders. “The Cheeseburger in Paradise chain enjoys phenomenal success with tropical drink ‘garnimals’ [garnishes in the shapes of animals] wearing sunglasses. The menagerie includes Penelope Parrot [pineapple wedge, strawberry head, pineapple leaf tail], Lizard Lips [orange mouth, lime lips], Berry Beth [strawberry] and Red-Nosed Bill [pimiento-stuffed olive].”

Ophelia Santos, owner of Ali-Oli, Atlanta, says: “Our fun poblano-chile grasshopper garnishes perch on the sides of Bloody Maria drinks. These are time-consuming to make, so we only use them when we know about 10 of these specialty drinks will be served, not in a busy bar.”

Create seasonal garnishes and drinks, says Tim Halbert, bar manager of Brasserie, New York City. “I ask bartenders to create a seasonal drink, for which they get credit on the menu. Staff recognition motivates them to promote their creations. My Big Tim’s Hot Buttered Rum is garnished with a spiced butter pat, which melts into the hot drink.”

When making his Hot Taffy drink, Paul Saliba, beverage manager of The Ritz-Carlton Chicago, places an apple wedge in the mug before adding warm spiced cider, butterscotch schnapps and sour-apple liqueur.
“To create a balanced drink menu with wider appeal, invite staff managers to evaluate new, garnished drinks,” he suggests. “Work with the bartenders, making each drink and taking photos for the staff. Tasting the drinks helps them sell their favorites.”