The Bar Journal

We are seeing big, attention-grabbing garnishes appear on drinks at high-end cocktail bars, which has many predicting that the trend will be increasingly replicated more broadly. The topic was the subject of conversation at the recently held London Cocktail Week where industry insiders pointed to the increased functionality of modern big garnishes, the injection of fun into cocktail culture and the ease of sharing of trends due to social media.

New, modern big garnishes are set apart from those of past days by their increased creativity and functionality. Not only are they meant as eye candy but as working elements of the drink, as well as touches of novelty that make the drink difficult to forget. At London cocktail bar Artisan, same of the  drink are served with pirats gun, sun glasses or chinese umbrella as part of the over all experince.

These types of serves cause patrons to shake their head and try new flavour combinations. Many experts at the London Cocktail Week agreed that we can expect to see more big, eye-catching garnishes as well those using food in amuse bouche-style presentations serving as a functional garnishes.

This trend towards bigger, functional garnishes plays into a larger idea of a general loosening up of cocktail culture. The increased craft and skill seen in the world of mixology in recent years has produced some bartenders who have been accused of being more self-serving than guest-serving. This has left many patrons feeling alienated and out-of-place in cocktail bars.

These big, unconventional garnishes may be a way that the industry is shifting back towards a focus on the guests’ experience by making it simply more fun and enjoyable to be in a bar manned by skilled mixologists.

SALUTE!