The cocktail's crowning touch: The garnish

Years ago, most men wore proper felt hats and women donned cloches. But thanks to JFK and his perfectly coiffed do, the status quo seems to have been irreversibly altered, at least for the men. Like a flattering hat, a cocktail's garnish is the crowning touch, a bit of flair that completes a properly prepared potent.

If bartenders were to quit adding garnishes to cocktails, I'd put down my glass forever. The garnish is a well-deserved accessory to any libation and shouldn't be done without.

Quite often a garnish is more than an accessory. As someone pointed out in Threads, for the Old Fashioned, the garnishes are the true assets of the drink. The Old Fashioned is a special case, indeed: its flavor relies heavily on the garnishes and their proper treatment.

A garnish is usually a sublime addition that only a few palates will detect, but that every eye will miss if it's forgotten. The garnish shows your guests that you've thought of every detail.

Never make your garnishes showy or overpowering. They should have a subtle presence, calmly floating atop a drink or lurking at the bottom, soaking up the last bits of alcohol before pleasing the taste buds.

If you've created some festive ornament that rests on the lip of your glass, nearly tipping it over, you've gone too far. Next to plastic whales, the worst garnish I've ever seen was in a Mr. Boston's video. After bumbling his way through the creation of a Bloody Mary, the bartender garnished the drink with a small feast - a black olive, a green olive, and a cold, cooked shrimp - skewered together, as if prepared for a barbecue.

Garnishing a drink shouldn't be difficult. In fact, you only need to be familiar with the fundamental garnishes: twists, squeezes, wheels, olives, onions, maraschino cherries, mint, and fresh-picked edible flowers. Once you master these garnishes, your drink recipe box will further expand as you learn that simple garnish substitutions can make an entirely different drink. A Martini, for example, when garnished with an onion instead of the olive, becomes a Gibson.

The twist

The twist, which is usually a lemon, contains all sorts of aromatic oils. In a lucid cocktail like a Rob Roy or a Martini, the twist adds just a hint of bitter lemon. (Lime twists, though used quite often, are not as elegant.)

When preparing twists, remember to remove as much of the pith, or white part of the fruit, as possible. The pith is very bitter and too much will spoil the drink.

The squeeze

The squeeze, which is also usually a lemon, is reserved for tall drinks like the Pimm's Cup that require a touch of fresh juice for accent. Usually the lemon squeeze is a sixth or an eighth of a whole lemon with both ends cut off. Any larger, and the garnish distracts from the drink.

When serving a drink with a squeeze, cut a small slit into the fruit's side. Rest the garnish on the lip of the glass, and let your guest do the squeezing (90 percent of the time, your guests will squeeze the fruit even before tasting the drink).

A lime squeeze is smaller in size than its lemon counterpart. It's the perfect garnish for any cocktail calling for fresh lime juice. The squeeze in a Daiquiri, for instance, adds a little unadulterated juice and a slight bitterness that helps balance the drink's sweetness.

For cocktails, first cut the lime lengthwise in quarters, then cut each quarter in half, crosswise. When garnishing tall drinks, use the quarters of lime, freshly cut. (The lime squeeze is the standard garnish for tall drinks like the Cuba Libre and the Gin and Tonic.)

The wheels

Wheels are called for when a drink might be a little too sweet. Adding a wheel or half a wheel to a drink gives the imbiber something to eat or suck on after a sip of the cocktail.

Wheels are difficult to squeeze juice from but are refreshing asides to many tropical beverages. They are the perfect accompaniment to slightly sweet drinks in need of a little bravura.

Use your sharpest knife to prepare wheels. Like tomato slices, they are beautiful when cut exactly, but sloppy when done otherwise. Slices one-eighth to one-fourth of an inch in width will suffice.

The brine

Olives and onions are almost always interchangeable, depending on one's preference. Even the lowliest green olives stuffed with pimentos are a party favorite.

With both these garnishes, the brine in which they're cured adds a little saltiness to Martinis and Gibsons that softens the gin's edge. One olive or onion is elegant, two is proper, and three is a meal. People who ask for extra olives in drinks should have their cocktails prepared particularly diluted.

If you know an actual purist, pour out the brine from the olive or onion bottle; replace it with dry vermouth. Perceptive friends will appreciate the essence of vermouth in their cocktails.

Personally, I can't stomach maraschino cherries. Once they're placed in a cocktail, their syrupy essence takes over. Of course, if you or a friend have a particular fancy for this flavor, by all means enjoy. You can even use the "juice" from the bottle as a sweetener or coloring.

When it comes to flora, mint is my all-time favorite. I think the uppermost sprig is one of the greatest gifts to the bar. Atop most any tall drink or floating in a Stinger, mint adds the most delicate aroma.

If you're knowledgeable about edible flowers, use blossoms to top any cocktail. Don't reserve this garnish for ladies: a well-selected flower can make a drink unforgettably unique for anyone.