Because sometimes more is more.
It’s fair to say that in the 2010s, minimalism reigned supreme. We chucked out all our stuff à la Marie Kondo, we made our homes into big beige rooms and dressed in monotones. After a solid decade of that, the fashion pendulum swings and we realise we feel, well, a little underwhelmed with our homemade cocktail efforts that look like nothing more than liquid in a no-frills glass.
Minimal, after all, means void of detail, lacking decoration – but what’s life without a little decoration? Suddenly we want frills on our cushions, bows on our shirts and the most ornate dinner set money can buy. And we want our drinks doing the most.
The first time a lushly garnished drink was in vogue was in the 1930s, when tiki bars opened their doors. Prohibition ended in the US, The Great Depression set in and cities wore the scars of WWI. People were in need of a little escapism and the notion of a tropical paradise with rum-based drinks and fruity garnishes topped with tiny umbrellas was the fantasy to arise. The first tiki bar opened in 1934 in Hollywood, the home of fantasy. With the faux-Polynesian decor came the Piña Coladas with their pineapple wedge and maraschino cherry, and Daiquiris lined with intricately cut strawberries and lime wheels. Garnishes ruled. There’s been an undeniable renaissance of tiki drinks and bars, plus a reignited fascination with bright blue drinks, and the garnishes have a lot to do with it.
There’s also a deliciously (literally) practical element to an elaborate garnish – it’s a drink and a meal, or at least a decent snack. As the following suggestions will show, it doesn’t have to be huge, it doesn’t have to be crazy. A little flair is all it takes. To start creating your own, begin with the baseline garnishes, and elaborate however you feel.
