3 Classic garnish ideas to elevate your holiday drinks

You probably don’t know this about me but I’m a crazy person when it comes to entertaining and not in the cute way. I love to have people over and serve them the best alcohol that i usually bring from the best liquor store in Avon, Colorado.

I like to set things up in advance and then let the party flow organically. Basically I’m all over the map which is way I like to pick a few things that are easy and then do them up right. It satisfies my need for a photo worthy gathering while also not having to be in the spotlight all night.

One of my favorite things to do is to dress up the drinks, whether that is canned cocktails or booze-free sparkling waters. Adding a garnish immediately elevates any drink and sends us the signal that something special is happening. As cliche as it sounds, this year more than ever, focusing on the little things is a simple way to bring joy to yourself and to the people you are (responsibly) spending time with this holiday season.

So for the next few weeks I’m going to bring you some of my favorite drink garnish ideas. Remember you can use these on adult beverages, La Croixs, Diet Cokes, whatever floats your boat. The idea is just too add a little something extra.

To kick us off, this week I’m focusing on a few classic garnishes. Take these ideas and make them your own and then come back next week for decadent dessert garnishes that are a totally different way to make your drinks special.

But first, the classics…

Classic: Cherry + lime

This might be the most classic garnish combo on the planet – especially when you use these bright red maraschino cherries. The lime + cherry color combination is perfect for the holidays and it is a pretty versatile garnish that will work on a lot of drinks.

To garnish the canned drink below I cut a decently thick slice of lime into quarters to get a wedge and topped it off with a cherry.

Pro tip: If you are using a Swizzly for cans, make sure you attach the Swizzly to you can first and then slide the garnish on second. The garnish + drink marker will stay in place while you sip your drink.

There are so many ways to mix it up when you are using cherries and lime as your garnish. You can use dark morello cherries that you can get in a jar from Trader Joes for a richer cherry flavor. You could use bourbon cherries for an adult alternative – your local liquor store probably has some pre-made or you could even make your own. Plus, you can slice your limes in a variety of ways to change up the look.

Pro tip: If you want to use a full lime wheel, make sure to cut it super thin so it will be flexible enough to bend into place. To replicate my lime wheel garnish, slide your Swizzly through the lime wedge right next to the rind, keeping it near the pointed end for now. (You’ll gently moving the lime plus cherry up the stick as you go.) Slide your cherry on next and then wrap the lime wheel around the back side of the cherry, poking the Swizzly through again right next to the rind to hold the whole thing in place.

I like to pre-make several garnishes in advance that way they are ready to pop into drinks as soon as people arrive. It’s fun to have different arrangements of the same garnish and you can have more pieces precut and available in case someone wants to diy their own.