13 Cocktail Garnishes You Need For Your Home Bar

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No home bar is complete without a collection of cocktail garnishes. While not a must, garnishes are the finishing touch every drink needs to look its best. But which ones are essential and which ones can you skip? The simple answer is that you should keep your most used garnishes on hand. However, this doesn't really tell you much if you aren't a seasoned bartender. I worked in restaurants and bars for 20 years, and at least 10 of those years were spent making cocktails, so I definitely know my way around a bar. The curated list of garnishes below includes some of the most popular garnishes, plus a few showstoppers that will help set your homemade cocktails apart from the run-of-the-mill drinks most folks make at home. 

While you may not need to keep all 13 garnishes at the ready — after all, fresh herbs and fruit have a pretty limited shelf life — having them in your back pocket the next time you stock up for gatherings will serve you well. I can tell you one thing for sure: You definitely don't need to stock a jar of pearl onions in the pantry, unless you or a regular guest drinks Gibson martinis. In all my years behind the bar, I never saw the bottom of a jar. Whether you're stocking up for a party or simply want some garnishes around for regular use, these are the best garnishes to store behind the bar.

One of the most essential garnishes to keep stocked in your home bar is green olives. Even if you aren't a fan of a classic vodka or gin martini, it's an incredibly popular drink, and the chances of a guest requesting one are high. Dirty martinis are particularly popular, and you can't make them without olives and a dash of olive juice. Enough said. If you want to get fancy, you can also stuff your olives with a chunk of garlic or blue cheese. Only make as many as you anticipate using in one seating, though. Stuffed olives aren't the kind of thing you want to keep around, unless you buy them pre-stuffed and soaked in brine.

In addition to a classic dirty martini, olives make a wonderful garnish for bloody marys. After all, they are kind of a free-for-all, right? You can put all different kinds of creative ingredients in a bloody mary and still call it such if there's some tomato somewhere in the mix. Olives are by far one of the least surprising garnishes for bloody marys. Thankfully, green olives can be kept in the fridge in an airtight jar for an exceptionally long time, too, so there's no need to push through a jar quickly.

Limes are by far one of the most common drink garnishes. Everything from a rum and coke (aka a Cuba libre) to a top-shelf margarita gets a lime garnish, along with a gin and tonic, a vodka soda, and a gimlet — the list goes on and on. Actually, if you are ever in doubt about what garnish to use, you can often just add a lime wedge or wheel and call it a day. Plus, keeping fresh limes stocked in your home bar is also a must when it comes to building cocktails. I mean, lime juice is an essential part of many cocktail recipes, so it's a win-win.

The only downfall to fresh lime garnishes is that they have a very limited shelf life compared to garnishes like olives or espresso beans. However, you can always use your bar limes in the kitchen if they are nearing the end of their life. Or, for an authentic mixology experience at home, you can dehydrate thin lime wheels, either in your oven or a dehydrator. When stored in an airtight container, they should last you about a year. Cool, right? In addition to extending shelf life, dehydrated limes pack a ton of flavor and look fantastic on a drink — that's why they are currently so trendy in upscale bars.

Similar to limes, lemons are one of the most used bar garnishes, so keeping them on hand is a no-brainer. Of course, lemon juice goes in countless cocktails, too. One of my favorite cocktails with a lemon garnish is the iconic Bees Knees, but lemons are good for simple drinks like vodka soda as well. Lemon twists and swaths are a classic martini garnish, and that only scratches the surface of the fruit's garnish potential. Really, it's an essential garnish for any well-rounded bar. Lemon garnishes come in many forms, too. You can zest the skin, cut wedges, slice wheels, or make twists with them, so there's no doubt lemons have your back behind the bar.

As you know, fresh fruit doesn't last for long, so there's no need to stockpile lemons unless you have a specific plan to use them in the near future, such as hosting a boozy summer gathering. Keeping a couple of lemons around pretty consistently isn't a bad idea, though, especially since you can easily move them over to the kitchen when they start to pass peak freshness. Plus, just like other citrus fruits, you can easily use a food dehydrator or oven to remove all the moisture, and voilà! Your lemon wheels will last for a year, maybe longer, when kept in an airtight container.

Depending on what type of cocktails you prefer, oranges can be just as essential as lemons and limes in a home bar. And again, you can stock this citrus fruit fresh or dehydrated. It's up to you, but obviously, dehydrated orange wheels will last much longer than their fresh counterparts before spoiling. Still, orange juice is a handy ingredient for your bar as well, so keeping the fresh fruit around has its benefits.

Regardless of whether you keep fresh or dehydrated oranges in your bar, they make an eye-catching garnish on a wide array of cocktails. Orange slices are a shoo-in for all kinds of punches and brunch drinks like mimosas and screwdrivers. Pair a thin slice of orange with a cherry and you have a classic "flag" garnish, which goes on countless tropical drinks. Oranges are also essential for making an Old Fashioned, and while it may be a classic cocktail, its popularity seems to be never-ending. Technically, oranges are not a garnish in this instance because they get muddled and mixed into the drink, but it's not like another garnish is used at the end, so I think it counts. Whether you prefer the classic recipe with an orange swath or the more modern one featuring a muddled orange slice and cherry, there's no getting around the need for an orange.

Cherries are another classic cocktail garnish that every bar should keep on hand. I'm not talking about those bright red maraschinos that almost look radioactive either. That's what you get in a dive bar or a Shirley Temple. We can do much better at home, and we should. Luxardo Gourmet Maraschino Cherries are a wonderful pick. They may still be maraschinos, but they are more of a rich burgundy, almost black color, and the flavor is infinitely better. Bordeaux cherries are another favorite of mine. We all have our preferences, though, so I recommend trying a few different kinds before buying a large jar.

Whiskey drinkers in particular rely on cherries to garnish several classic cocktails, like an Old Fashioned, Whiskey Sour, or Manhattan. They can also be used to garnish an Aviation (classic gin cocktail), piña coladas, rum punches, and other tropical drinks — alone or paired with an orange slice to create a flag. Even if you don't anticipate making many of these drinks, a jar of cherries will keep in the fridge for quite some time. Some say up to a year, but in my experience, you don't really need to toss them until they develop an odor or become discolored.

You may not think of salt as a garnish, but using it to rim glassware gives many drinks a finishing flourish, so it's a garnish in my book. I think most bartenders would agree, too, making salt a vital garnish for every bar. Without it, you can't make a Salty Dog, a Paloma, a bloody mary, or even a margarita. Sure, you could make the last three drinks without a salted rim and they'd still be good, but a Salty Dog without a rim is just a Greyhound. Besides, you can keep a jar of salt behind your bar indefinitely. It's not like it is going to go bad.

You've probably seen the retractable, layered rim containers in bars that hold salt for garnishing drinks, but you don't need to go that far. Actually, they tend to become a big mess pretty quickly, so I don't care for them much. Instead, spreading a fine layer of salt onto a saucer is my go-to move. It works just as well, and clean-up is a breeze. 

Along the same lines as salt, but with way more personality, is Tajín Clásico Seasoning. If you aren't already acquainted with it, it's a salty chile lime seasoning and it packs a punch that's downright delicious — especially if you use it to rim margarita and bloody mary glasses. People in Denver (where I live) are kind of obsessed with it, and if you want to wow your friends, it's the perfect garnish.

Similar to salt, but on the complete opposite end of the flavor spectrum, sugar is another classic bar ingredient perfect for rimming glassware. It's also used to make simple syrup, but that's another story. As far as garnishes go, it's tasty, beautiful, and ideal for anyone with a sweet tooth. Even if you aren't typically drawn to sugary drinks, it's a great garnish to keep around. It won't spoil, and it'll help you make classic cocktails like a cosmopolitan, lemon drop, or sidecar. Sugar is also the ideal rim for fruity margarita flavors, like strawberry or mango. Yum!

Sugar is fun enough all by itself, but if you really want to amaze your palate and any friends who swing by, small sugary candies are here for the win. I worked in a bar that specialized in martinis, and we garnished a couple of them with crushed up rock candies and another with Pop Rocks — talk about a showstopper! The colorful candies looked amazing on the rim of a glass and, of course, had flavor for days. If you add them to your arsenal of bar garnishes, you won't regret it, and you can pretty much guarantee your guests will be impressed.

There's something about a sprig of mint garnishing a cocktail that draws you in. Not only does it look fresh, but it adds a pop of color (most drinks aren't green, after all) and it comes with a delicious aroma. What's not to love? Admittedly, fresh mint does spoil pretty quickly, so you won't want to keep it behind your bar without specific plans to use it. Still, in the warmer months of the year, when many people drink refreshing cocktails, fresh mint has what it takes to elevate your cocktails to the next level.

The first cocktail I think of when it comes to mint is the iconic mojito. In addition to a minty garnish, a mojito has lots of muddled mint within, and oh boy, is it tasty. Honestly, just this one drink alone is enough to make me want to keep mint behind my bar, but the fun doesn't stop there. Mint also makes a beautiful garnish on a Long Island iced tea, spiked lemonade, punch, hot toddy, frozen drinks, and more. So, if you are looking for a way to use up all your mint before it goes bad, you've got plenty of options. Pro tip: To release more of mint's inherent flavor and aroma, slap the sprigs on your palm before using them as a garnish. 

A little wedge of pineapple makes a beautiful, tasty garnish on a multitude of cocktails. I'm not saying you need to keep a pineapple behind your bar at all times, but it's not a bad idea if you plan on whipping up a bunch of fruity, tropical drinks. Plus, you can always dehydrate a few pieces and keep them around for about a year before they go bad. There's no denying a little wedge of pineapple makes an eye-catching garnish, too. In fact, if I went to one of my friends' houses and they served me a drink with a chunk of pineapple on the rim, you better believe I would say something along the lines of "Ooh, fancy!"

The piña colada is the most obvious choice for a pineapple garnish, but it also looks fantastic on daiquiris, rum punches, and other tropical drinks. Pineapple juice can also be used to put a fun twist on classic drinks like mimosas, margaritas, and mojitos, and all of these cocktails look even better with a pineapple wedge garnish.

Delicious and visually stunning, berries make a fantastic cocktail garnish. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, you name it — they all make yummy, attractive additions to cocktails. Heck, even if you choose to muddle berries into your drink instead of using them as a traditional garnish, your cocktails will thank you. You probably don't want to keep them stocked at all times unless that's already normal for your kitchen fridge, because they won't stick around for long, but they are perfect for cocktails nonetheless.

My favorite drink to garnish with a berry or two (of any kind) just so happens to also be the simplest: sparkling wine. Simply pour a glass and garnish — perfect. Berries also make wonderful additions to more complex drinks, like margaritas, mojitos, daiquiris, martinis, and more. Basically, anything with summer or tropical vibes will most likely benefit from a couple of berries. You don't have to get fancy and put them on a skewer either. I mean, you can, but tossing a couple on top works just as well, even if they just sink to the bottom of your glass. If the drink is translucent enough that you can still see them, I consider the aesthetic enhancement a success.

Espresso martinis are currently having a moment in the sun. They are super tasty, give you a little pep in your step, and if you don't already know, they are garnished with three espresso beans. So, keeping a small bag of them behind your home bar is a smart move. Now, a lot of pro bartenders hate making espresso martinis, but that's typically because they don't have the right ingredients for the job. After all, hot espresso doesn't make a good drink. At home, you can do whatever you want, though, and that includes using cold brew or anything else you like. No matter what recipe you opt for, an espresso bean garnish is the only way to finish this delicious, popular cocktail.

Coffee and espresso beans also make wonderful garnishese for other coffee drinks, and they are customary in a snifter of sambuca. It's not like they need to be at peak freshness to look nice floating on a cocktail either. They are purely aesthetic at that point, so who cares if they are stale? Actually, if you ever wind up with stale coffee beans in the kitchen, you can give them a new life behind the bar.

We already talked about mint being a wonderful garnish, but it's only one of many fresh herbs bartenders use to garnish drinks. If you want to give your homemade cocktails some professional flair — and who doesn't? — herbs are your friend. They give every drink a fresh, upscale look and, depending on the herbs you use, can also enhance the sensory experience with pleasing aromas. Yes, please!

When you take mint out of the equation, rosemary, thyme, and basil are my top three fresh herbs for cocktails. A sprig of rosemary looks divine on a Paloma and even has what it takes to make a boring old gin and tonic look exceptional. The same can be said for basil and thyme. There's no end to the number of creative martinis that get better with a fresh herb garnish, and you can go ahead and add fruity drinks and whiskey cocktails to the list as well. For a fun play on a classic mojito, I recommend substituting fresh basil for mint, and of course, finishing it off with a basil leaf garnish. Talk about refreshing!

For the most part, cinnamon sticks aren't considered a hugely popular garnish. We all have our preferences, though, so you never know. Regardless, cinnamon sticks stay usable for a really long time, like two to four years, depending on whether or not they've been opened. So, even if you don't make a lot of drinks that benefit from a cinnamon stick garnish, you don't have to worry about using them quickly. They'll be ready and waiting whenever you're ready, which, for most of us, is during the colder months of the year.

In general, cinnamon sticks are used to garnish hot drinks, the most common of which is a hot toddy. While I wouldn't typically recommend drinking alcohol when you're sick, it's the perfect cocktail to soothe a sore or scratchy throat. Hot toddies are also perfect for beating the cold on a winter day. Moving on. Cinnamon sticks are also snazzy in other warm drinks like spiked hot chocolate, apple cider, or coffee. Anything with horchata also fits the bill. Even if these drinks don't frequently come out of your home bar, there's a time and place for a hot cocktail, and when that time comes, it's best to be prepared. Besides, it's not like they are going to go bad anytime soon.