Twists: The portents to potations

A good cocktail is a matter of details, and of all the elements, the twist is the most reliable for judging a host's skill and care. But at typical establishments, the twist is just another garnish grudgingly prepared and dumped onto a tray long before the evening's crowd arrives. It's merely a second thought for accommodating the occasional espresso or dry Manhattan served at lunch, and when prepared by a dull knife controlled by a dull mind, the twist looks stubby, sloppy, unimpressive, and as a portent to the potable.

In fact, if your drink arrives with a twist that's as straight and dry as a Frito, you have every right to send the drink back and head down the road to the next establishment. Another sign of a failed zest is when you receive your ration of rind only to find that its stale brown edges are siphoning the spirit from your cocktail, rather than giving up its most valued oils. But making a twist - despite how often it's done incorrectly - really isn't difficult. The wonderful thing about the twist is that it's so sublime that you can't overdo it, which is often the case with such garnishes as cherries and large wedges of fruit. As long as your fruit is fresh, your knife sharp, and your creativity willing, any shape or style of a twist will be welcomed.

Technically, a twist is the part of the lemon, lime, or orange that contains the color of the fruit. It should contain as little of the white skin, or pith, as possible. Although a gimmicky tool called a "zester" is often promoted as the best way to make twists, it only cuts off tiny slivers of the fruit. The zester also sprays out all the twist's oil, so unless you hold the fruit over the drink as you pull the twist from the fruit, you shouldn't use it in your cocktail. Besides, you're only left with the Kate Moss of garnishes - a scrawny little zest with no umpf. It looks nice enough when draped across a sorbet, but when floating in a cocktail it seems anemic and drawn. An ideal twist is long, curly, about 1/8 inch wide, 1/16 inch thick, and as fresh as morning dew. Also, the twist is rarely dropped into a drink. Resting it on the rim of the glass lets the imbiber appreciate its form, as well as its perfume.

To make a quality twist, first find a fresh lemon. Gently roll it across a cutting board with the palm of your hand to soften it slightly. Take a sharp knife and cut the ends off the lemon - just to the point where the fruit begins to show. Avoid cutting into the fruit. Next, use a stainless-steel ice pick. Insert it about 1/8 inch deep into the lemon, between the yellow peel and the fruit. Try to position the pick as close to the peel as possible. Rotate [1,000 KB .mov] the ice pick gently around the lemon to separate the lemon peel from the pith and the fruit. As you make your way around the lemon, slowly insert the pick farther into the fruit. You probably will have to repeat this maneuver from the other end of the lemon. Once you have separated the peel completely from the fruit, the core may easily pop out. But if not, make one cut along the peel, from end to end, and then remove the fruit. Take the peel and roll it into its natural configuration, only in a much tighter roll. Then with your sharpest knife, cut 1/8-inch sections of the peel. They will be curled slightly at this point, but when it's time to serve the drink, retwist, or roll, the zest to better curl it. Twist, or snap, the zest above the glass, so that more of the aromatic oils are mixed into the drink, then gently rest the fruit on the side of the drink, as the perfect, practical accessory - like a stylish hat.