How to Garnish Your Cocktails Like a Professional Bartender

3 easy methods from America's Test Kitchen's new book, 'How to Cocktail'

Making a citrus peel garnish. Courtesy of America's Test Kitchen

When it comes to making cocktails at home, garnishes are often overlooked, skimped on, or simply skipped altogether. But cocktail garnishes should never be an afterthought, because they contribute far more than just decoration to a drink. Cocktail cherries add a slight fruity nuance to a Manhattan or an old-fashioned. And it wouldn’t be a mint julep without the effusively aromatic and flavorful mint sprig garnish.

Cocktail cherries. Courtesy of America's Test Kitchen