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copyright ©1999-2002
DigsMagazine.com.
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drink
dress-
ups
a brief guide to garnishing cocktails
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continued from page 1
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wheel | Wheels and half-wheels make a fine garnish for sweet
tropical drinks, and look lovely floating in punch bowls and pitchers as
well. Avoid slicing either too thin (flimsy and flaccid) or too thick
(just plain inelegant). Just under ¼" is generally a good
thickness for large wheels; smaller wheels can be as thin as 1/8".
use with: cosmopolitan,
daiquiri, frozen
daiquiri,
gin fizz, tom collins
twist
| The twist, unlike the wedge or wheel, consists of only the peel
portion of the fruit, generally a lemon. It’s far and away my favorite
garnish to create, although it takes a little bit of work to perfect the
technique. A standard twist that you’ll get at most bars is maybe an
inch or two long, and no more than a ¼" wide, but I’m of the
opinion that the ideal twist should be really long, really curly, and
really thin. Because, dammit, it just looks prettier that way.
removing
the flesh
1 Cut
off the bottom ¼" of both ends of your lemon, just enough
such that the fruit begins to show.
2
Skedaddle on over to the sink or work over a bowl, as this
next step is messy. Insert the very tip of your knife in the white
pithy part of the lemon, between the skin and the fruit. Don’t
push the knife in too far just yet, as you’ll end up puncturing
the skin if you’re not careful. Ideally, of course, you’ll
want to get as close to the skin as possible, so you’re not left
with a really thick, really bitter twist, but on your first couple
of tries, don’t get too ambitious: it’s easier to clean up the
innards after you’ve popped out the core.
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Now carefully begin cutting away the fruit from the peel by
rotating the lemon, gradually pushing the blade
further and further into the fruit. (I find it easier to hold the
sharp side of the knife towards me as I do this.) When you’ve
pushed your blade in as far as it’ll go, flip the lemon and cut
from the other side.
3
At this point, you should be able to pop out the core of
the lemon. Set it aside (you can place it in a strainer and squash
with the back of a spoon later on to squeeze out the juice).
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