Dress up your drinks for Christmas

Forget about decorating the Christmas tree in your bar this year, it is all about garnishing your drinks to make them stand out this festive season.

Garnish – why do it?

With over 75% of consumers saying that, aside from taste, presentation is what makes a perfect drink, making an impression links directly to making a profit.

Around a third of customers entering a bar are undecided about what they’re going to order, so your ability to impress and offer expert advice is key to unlocking potential sales.

Garnish and seasonal serves

Seasonal serves can boost your bar’s reputation and go a long way toward attracting new customers. Creating fresh and interesting seasonal drinks is a simple way to engage customers, driving your sales by satisfying their desire to treat themselves.

Your seasonal drinks don’t have to be complicated and a great way to give your cocktails a seasonal twist is a garnish. Not only can this garnish give your everyday cocktail a point of difference for the season, but it can also give you the opportunity to charge more. A few simple changes to the presentation of your long mixed drinks can give your bar a competitive edge.

Garnish essentials

• Citrus fruits add color, flavor and a ‘zing’ of acidity—limes, lemons and oranges are the basic fruits.
• Use oranges for orange-flavored drinks, lemons for lemon flavored drinks and limes for everything else.
• Use wedges instead of slices as these can be squeezed to add extra flavor.
• As well as adding to the flavor, adding peel provides an additional "visual" dimension.
• Only cut the fruit you’ll need for the shift – and use a non-serrated knife and a wooden board.
• Never keep your pieces of cut fruit in a bowl of water as it dilutes their flavor.

Some seasonal garnish ideas

Stir a handful of cranberries into your SMIRNOFF N.21 Vodka and cranberry.

Add a fresh stalk of rosemary to your JOHNNIE WALKER hot toddy.

Stir a few dried juniper berries to your TANQUERAY gin and tonic

Grate chocolate flakes to your BAILEYS serves.

Add a cinnamon stick to your eggnog recipe.

Top tips to take away

Make a menu: Create a special menu of your seasonal serves, complete with mouthwatering descriptions and images.

Make it special: It might be grating some cinnamon onto the finished drink or adding chocolate flakes, a handful of juniper berries or star anise. Be open to experimenting with flavors and textures.

Go local: Use seasonal, locally produced ingredients such as soft fruit garnishes. Explore the opportunities to go local—"local" says "fresh" and can save you money.

(*One standard drink contains 0.6 fluid ounces of alcohol)