When a bartender serves a cocktail, few issues trigger my face to fall like a dried citrus garnish. Regardless of the visible enchantment a crisp citrus wheel provides, I’ve at all times discovered dehydrated garnishes disappointing. I’d somewhat go and not using a garnish than need to battle one to take one other sip of my drink.
“I don’t see the purpose. They get in the way in which,” says Tim Faulkner, a cocktail advisor, bartender, and co-owner of Whoopsie’s in Atlanta, Georgia. “Even with contemporary garnishes, I squeeze the lemon or lime proper into the drink and toss the garnish so it doesn’t intervene with the expertise.”
Citrus is usually utilized in cocktails due to its skill to stability spirits. Not solely can the sharp, bitter notes tame the cruel nostril of ethanol in some spirits, however contemporary citrus may even contribute to the feel of a cocktail—simply consider the creamy physique that outcomes from a superbly shaken Daiquiri.
So, why do some bartenders go for dehydrated over contemporary? Let’s look at the case some trade execs are making for dehydrated garnishes past mere aesthetics.
Dehydration Preserves the Produce
Other than the distinct traits contemporary garnishes present to cocktails (like fragrant important oils and crisp taste), retaining a gradual provide of produce readily available is tough for some bars. Recent citrus and different fruits used to garnish cocktails may be dear to inventory — much more so when it’s out of season. On high of excessive costs, the produce can spoil shortly. That’s why some bars — and residential bartenders — choose to dehydrate garnishes at their peak.
Dehydrating garnishes reduces waste, saves cash, and ensures shelf-stability, that are all good issues. However dehydration additionally preserves and concentrates the flavour of the fruit. Whereas that possible means you received’t wish to lick a citrus wheel as you sip, you’ll be able to nonetheless leverage the potent taste. The secret’s to position the garnish in the very best spot inside your cocktail to harness its intense taste.
Execution Is The whole lot
Squeezing a lemon or lime into your Gin & Tonic is usually innocent, however many cocktails will grow to be unbalanced with the addition of additional citrus. Dehydrated citrus, however, permits for extra management when crafting cocktails as a result of the juice can’t be squeezed into the drink. As an alternative, the essence of the fruit and its acidity slowly intensify throughout the drink.
Keep away from sharpening your favourite drink off with a citrus wheel on high, and place it alongside the wall of the glass as a substitute. Correct placement not solely retains the garnish out of the way in which but in addition permits the citrus to rehydrate whereas slowly melding with the cocktail. Additionally it is essential to maintain the garnish on the aspect of the glass somewhat than the underside to keep away from an excessive amount of of a concentrated taste if the cocktail is served with a straw.
The best way to Garnish at Dwelling
It’s frequent to see dehydrated citrus wheels like lemon, lime, and orange utilized in drinks. Much less frequent choices embody dehydrated pineapple, raspberries, coconut, and even mangoes. However in relation to utilizing these garnishes at dwelling, it’s essential to assume by means of the cocktail and garnish pairing.
“I wouldn’t use a dehydrated lime over a contemporary one in a Daiquiri or a Margarita, however in a smoked or fat-washed whiskey bitter, I’d positively use a dehydrated orange,” says Kharis Ellison, a bartender at Talat Market, a 2024 James Beard-nominated restaurant in Atlanta. “The exception [is] dehydrated pineapple, which is at all times scrumptious and retains a fantastic nostril in contrast to the opposite [garnishes].”
Tio Lucho’s, a Peruvian restaurant in Atlanta, proves this level with a milk-washed Daiquiri topped with a wedge of dehydrated pineapple. Simply over a mile away, Stereo, a listening lounge and cocktail bar, toasts dehydrated coconut chips for a Chai Vodka Highball with coconut milk-clarified fino sherry. And dried raspberries work effectively in Chambord cocktails like a French Martini.
The best way to Make Dried Cocktail Garnishes
To inventory your bar with eye-catching dried garnishes, head to a neighborhood grocery retailer or examine retailers like Williams-Sonoma, Amazon, or Cocktail Garnish Co. But when you have already got contemporary fruit to protect, it’s effectively well worth the effort to make DIY garnishes.
For a cheaper technique, merely wash, slice, after which dry the fruit at a really low temperature within the oven for a number of hours. Earlier than inserting prepped garnishes within the oven, brush them with lemon or toss in a citric acid wash to forestall the fruit from browning. Hold the temperature round 125 levels Fahrenheit or as little as your oven will go to forestall the sugars within the fruit from burning. Bear in mind to examine on the garnishes ceaselessly — about as soon as each hour — till they’re dried and agency.
That’s all it takes to create your individual stash of dehydrated garnishes, able to deploy in all of your favourite cocktails.
