Drink garnishes are a fun way to dress up a glass, but they can also be edible, healthy, and delicious! With summer fun in full swing and 4th of July parties quickly approaching, try these fun and healthy drink garnishes to liven up your party.
Fruit Ideas:
- Lemon slices. Lemon slices are a popular, classic drink garnish. They’re also good for you. You get a boost of vitamin C and a sour edge at the same time.
- They’re fun to eat and not expensive, so you can use them freely.
- Apple slices. They’re not as common, but apple slices are a delicious garnish for drinks, whether you’re serving alcoholic or nonalcoholic beverages.
- Apples go great with champagne by adding an interesting tartness to the flavor. They also go well with ciders and other types of drinks.
- You may want to stick with red apples since they’re sweeter.
- Pomegranate seeds. Break open a pomegranate and you’ll see plenty of seeds. Pomegranate seeds have multiple vitamins and minerals. They’re also bright red and add an interesting touch of color to plainer drinks.
- For each drink, use only a small amount of the seeds, so your guests aren’t overwhelmed by them. Keep in mind that these seeds float to the top of beverages.
- Fig slices. It’s an unusual choice, but fig slices are a fun garnish for drinks. They have a reddish purple interior. They have fiber and other vitamins, so your guests will be getting something colorful and healthy with their drinks.
- Figs are sticky and sweet, so it’s a good idea to be careful with how many figs you use.
- Other fruit ideas. In general, fruit is one of the easiest things to use for garnishes when you’re putting together your drink menu. Bananas, pineapples, mangoes, berries, kiwis and other fruits make good additions.
- Fruit is best served as slices or wedges to make them easier for your guests to eat. You can make triangular or other shapes, too. This is an opportunity to get creative and use the garnishes as both food and decoration.
Non-Fruit Ideas:
Although fruit tends to be a popular choice, it’s not your only option.
Try these ideas:
- Edible flowers. Zucchini flowers are beautiful, orange in color, and make great drink additions. Ensure they’re clean and ready to be eaten before you use them.
- Another idea is to use thyme or rosemary. Sprigs or leaves of mints are also used frequently.
- You can always stick with the classic olives for drinks. However, you can go beyond the green stuffed olives and try different varieties.
- Drinks that have a tomato base may go well with shrimp garnishes. You may want to add some type of spicy sauce to make the flavors stronger. Be sure to peel the shrimp ahead of time!
- Celery and carrot sticks. As vegetables, they’re healthy, and their bright, bold colors make good garnishes.
Garnishes are easy to make and add delicious and fun variety to your drinks. The next time you’re getting ready to serve a drink, use one of these ideas for a healthy touch.