Choosing Your Gin Garnish: Enhancing not Defining
“The Recommended Serve”
Hand-in-hand with the explosion of craft gins and premium tonics over last few years, there has been a sharp rise in the use of creative gin garnishes. With gin brands and gin fans choosing to embellish their favourite tipple with everything from pink grapefruit to frozen asparagus tips (yes asparagus!) the days of the humble “ice & slice” appear to be a distant memory.
But where has the trend come from?
A few years back, before the rise of the craft gin, we considered it exotic if our G&T was served with a solitary ice cube and a lime wedge…
That was until our Scottish Gin compatriots at Hendricks came along. These guys revolutionised the way we drank our gin by choosing to garnish with their signature cucumber slice. Some were shocked, but many loved it and this quirky, unexpected but undeniably delicious garnish marked the birth of the “recommended serve” and changed how we drink G&T forever!
It was the Spanish who really bucked trend when it came to “Gintonics”(as they call it over there) as their elaborate, experimental and vast array of different garnishes presented in the signature giant “Copa” glass (the one that looks like fish bowl) began to take the world by storm.
The trend has become so popular, that nowadays serving gin with weird and wonderful fruits, herbs and spices has almost become the norm and with dedicated gin bars popping up all over the country, the varieties appear endless with little sign of slowing down.
How can we all become masters of the Esker gin garnish at home?
Something we have always believed in at Esker Spirits is that what we choose to serve alongside our spirits should enhance rather than define our gin. While we take extra care to source fresh, good quality garnishes and premium mixers, we make sure our Gins are the stars and our recommended serves are designed to complement rather than overpower.
1. Complement the flavours rather than copy
Try to pair and partner garnish to gin rather than mirror or match the predominate flavour.
For example, if you were drinking a fruit flavoured gin, garnishing with that same fruit may make the drink taste too much of that single flavour masking the delicacies and the more subtle botanicals that are present in the spirit. Think of it like this, if your food is already really peppery you wouldn’t be reaching for the pepper grinder right?
Instead, try to go with something that complements and balances the gin.
Here are some examples:
For Gins with sweet or spiced notes, like our original Esker or Esker Gold, try some zesty orange peel as the warm, rich citrus complements botanicals such as clove and cassia.
A citrusy Gin, such Esker Valenican Orange or Silverglas London Dry, can be balanced with an earthy or herbaceous garnish such as rosemary or mint
For Gins with floral notes, such as those from heather flower found in Esker, you could try pairing with a little bit of spice such as pink or black pepper corns or go the other way and try a soft sweet fruit garnish such as strawberries which will harmonise with those perfumed botanicals.
2. Keep it simple
Strike a happy balance between your drink looking attractive and tasting great. We take the first sip of our gin with our eyes, so to ignore presentation would be a mistake!
However, there is such a thing as “over garnishing”, and while edible flowers, and dehydrated passion fruits look may look impressive, rather than going over the top, (remember the gift wrapping scene in Love Actually?) we are sometimes happy to go with a more traditional garnish if we believe that it works best with the flavour profile of our gin.
Try using one or two garnishes at the very most. A good tip is to go with one garnish that gives a pop of colour: such as a berry garnish that matches the main flavour profile of the gin and balance this with a garnish that complements that flavour, such as something citrusy or herbal.
Try Esker Raspberry Gin with fresh raspberries for that burst of colour and fragrance as well as some lemon zest to cut through the sweetness.
3. Enhance (Twist, Squeeze and Clap!)
Remember the point of garnishing a gin is to enhance the drink. Don’t garnish for garnish sake. And remember as well as tasting with our eyes and mouths… we also use our noses.
The scents and aromas of our gin garnish can actually improve the drinking experience and the way that we prepare and use them can actually have a big effect on the final drink.
Twist
When using a twist of citrus peel such as lemon or orange, make sure you gently twist the skin over the drink or even rub the peel round the rim of your glass, this will release the fragrant oils and aromas held in the fruit’s skin.
Squeeze
Garnishing with a lime or lemon wedge? Give it a good squeeze before dropping it into your glass, a wedge that has not been squeezed will just float to the top and add very little to the drink.
Clap
For Mint (other soft herbs) gently “clap” your mint sprig to release a fresh but subtle aroma over the top of your gin.
How we do it….
Here are our Signature Serves:
Esker, Premium Tonic Water, Orange Twist
Or try…
Garnishing with pink peppercorns for a bit of spice!
Esker Gold, Ginger Ale, Orange Twist
Or try…
Garnishing with a cinnamon stick for the winter or some diced strawberries in the summer.
Silverglas London Dry, Light Tonic, Sprig of Fresh Mint & Lemon Twist.
Or try…
Squeezing in a fresh lime wedge and adding a slice of cucumber for something extra refreshing.
Esker Raspberry Gin, Light Tonic Water, Raspberry & Lemon Twist
Or try…
A slice of white peach. The sweet but slightly sharp raspberry gin pairs brilliantly with the sweeter peach flavours!
Esker Valencian Orange Gin, Premium Tonic Water, Sprig of Fresh Rosemary & Orange Twist
Or try… grapefruit slice and thyme. The grapefruit adds colour and fragrance while the earthy thyme offsets the citrus in the gin perfectly.
Keep an eye on our social media channels (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) for more serve suggestions and how-to cocktail videos! #EskerSpirits
