Garnish a Martini

You can garnish a basic martini with a classic olive or a twist of lemon peel. For flavored martinis, choose a garnish that reflects the unique character of the drink.

Steps

Classic Garnishes for a Basic Gin or Vodka Martini

Olives are a classic martini garnish. The traditional type of olive to use in this recipe is a green olive (either pitted or with seed intact), such as the Spanish Queen or the Green Barouni olive. You can also experiment with stuffed olives if you’d like to add the flavors of pimento, almonds, feta or garlic to your drink.

  1. Prepare your martini according to the recipe instructions. Pour the drink into a cocktail glass.

Garnish with an Olive

  1. Get 3 prepared olives and rinse them to remove the brine. Otherwise, the brine will give your martini a cloudy appearance. This rinsing step is not required, however, if you’re preparing a dirty martini, or if your olives are already marinated in vermouth or another complimentary liquid. It’s important, however, to avoid using olives steeped in oil when using them as a garnish.
  2. Place the olives directly into the martini. Alternatively, spear the 3 olives on a single toothpick and lean the toothpick against the inside of the martini glass.

Garnish with an Onion

  1. You can garnish your martini with a cocktail onion, but it becomes a Gibson if made with Gin. Cocktail onions are pearl onions that have been pickled in brine with paprika and turmeric. Rinse the cocktail onion and spear it with a toothpick. Place the toothpick against the side of the cocktail glass when you serve the drink.

Garnish a Sour Apple Martini

Sour apple martinis or other green martinis are usually garnished with a cherry or with a fresh slice of a Granny Smith apple.

  1. Prepare your sour apple martini and pour the drink into your cocktail glass.

Garnish with a Cherry

  1. Remove a maraschino cherry from a jar and rinse the cherry to get rid of the red juice. Otherwise, the red juice will interact with the green color of your martini and give it an unpleasant color.
  2. Drop the cherry into the bottom of the martini glass. When you have finished the martini, feel free to consume the cherry.

Garnish with an Apple Slice

  1. Wash the apple, but do not peel it.
  2. Right before you’re ready to serve the drink, cut the apple in half with a paring knife.
  3. Slice away a thin wedge of apple.
  4. Core the wedge and drop it into your drop, allowing it to float in the glass.

Garnish a Martini with a Citrus Wedge

Cosmopolitans, lemon drop martinis or other martinis that contain citrus can be garnished with either a lime, lemon or orange component, depending on the ingredients of the drink.

  1. Mix your martini and pour the cocktail into a chilled glass.
  2. Cut off both ends of your citrus fruit using a paring knife.
  3. Cut the citrus fruit into two equal halves with the paring knife.
  4. Slice each half into four circular wedges of equal thickness. Your wedges should consist of a 1/8” (3 millimeter) circle of rind enclosing a circle of citrus fruit flesh.
  5. Cut a slit into the wedge by starting in the middle and cutting a straight line to the rind. Don't cut through the rind.
  6. Place the citrus wedge on the rim of your martini glass by inserting the lip of the glass into the slit that you cut in the wedge.

Garnish a Martini with a Curly Strip of Citrus Rind

Strips of citrus rind make elegant garnishes for martinis. The essential oils meld with the beverage to enhance both its flavor and aroma. Since you’re using the rind directly in your recipe, it’s worth considering getting organic fruit that hasn’t been doused with chemicals.

  1. Cut off the ends of your citrus fruit with a paring knife.
  2. Slice the rind from one end to the other using your paring knife. Make sure that the strips are about 1/3” (8 millimeters) apart, and don’t cut into the pith of the fruit. What you’re aiming for is to slice away the colored part of the skin that contains the essential oils, without taking away any of the bitterness of the white part of the rind.
  3. Tuck one end of a lemon rind piece under and roll the rest of the rind around it. Your finished product will look like a rolled jellyroll cake.
  4. Slice the rolled peel into three equal sections along the length of the peel. Your knife should go into the peel parallel to the outside of the roll, not perpendicular to the roll.
  5. Take the curled strips and drape them over the side of your cocktail glass. Make sure that one end rests inside the drink to impart some essential oils into the drink. Alternatively, you can gently drop the rind into the drink and let it float on the surface.
  6. Wrap the other strips in a damp paper towel and place them inside of a plastic resealable bag for later use.



Tips

  • An alternative to cutting away the rind when garnishing a martini with citrus zest is to use a lemon zester that will curl the strands of zest as you peel them away from the fruit.
  • A martini garnished with a cocktail onion is also called a Gibson.
  • Make sure that any garnish you use emphasizes the character of the drink. For example, garnish a mint martini by draping a sprig of mint over the edge of the glass. If you choose a berry-flavored martini, place a small berry at the bottom of your cocktail glass.

Things You'll Need

  • Cocktail shaker
  • Ingredients for your martini of choice
  • Olives
  • Toothpick (optional)
  • Maraschino cherries
  • Apple
  • Citrus fruit
  • Paring knife

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Sources and Citations

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