What do blue cheese and figs have in common? They both make our list of sophisticated garnishes to try in your next cocktail.
When it comes to cocktails, presentation is key. You see the cocktail before you taste or smell it. A beautiful cocktail is an impressive cocktail, and sophisticated garnishes are the best way to ensure your cocktail is dazzling. We’ve experimented with some cocktail garnishes beyond the orange slice and the lemon peel to help you create some of the most distinguished cocktails.
Whiskey Soaked Fig
Figs have been enjoyed as a dessert for thousands of years, now try them as a cocktail garnish.
- 1.5 oz Joseph Magnus Bourbon Whiskey
- 5 ripe figs, sliced
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 dash orange bitters
- Champagne, to top
- Sliced fig, garnish
In the bottom of a large glass , add the figs, the brown sugar and the lemon juice. Use a cocktail muddler to mash and muddle the mixture for a full 5 minutes or so, until the figs break down into a thick syrupy mix. Remove the large pieces of fig skins.
Scoop half the mixture into a cocktail shaker. Add ice to the shaker, and add Joseph Magnus Bourbon Whiskey, and bitters. Shake with ice until chilled and strain pour into prepared glasses. Scoop a spoonful of remaining fig mixture into each glass and top with champagne. Garnish with sliced figs.
Magnus Foam Cocktail
Sometimes the best cocktail garnish is as light as air. This egg-free foam cocktail uses a blender, champagne, and pineapple juice to create this elegant garnish.
- 3 oz Magnus Vigilant District Dry Gin
- 3 oz champagne
- 1 oz cream
- 4 oz pineapple juice
- 2 dashes orange bitters
- 1 scoop ice
In a blender, combine Magnus Vigilant District Dry Gin, cream, pineapple juice and bitters. Blend until well combined. Pour into two coupe cocktail glasses and top with champagne, do not stir. Let foam rise to the top and serve. Serves two.
Prosciutto Melon Cocktail
A melon ball wrapped in prosciutto is the ultimate summer snack, so we built a cocktail recipe around it as a garnish.
- 2 oz Magnus Vigilant District Dry Gin
- .5 oz Midori Melon Liqueur
- .5 oz simple syrup
- .5 oz lemon juice
- .5 oz cantaloupe juice
- 1 egg white
- Prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe ball, garnish
Add the gin, melon liqueur, simple syrup, lemon juice, and egg white into a shaker and vigorously shake with no ice. Add ice and cantaloupe juice and shake again until well-chilled. Strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe ball.
Nori Martini
Find our full guide to perfecting this avant-garde cocktail with a seaweed garnish here.
- 2 sheets of nori (dried seaweed)
- 2 oz nori-infused Joseph Magnus Vigilant Gin
- .5 oz dry vermouth
- .5 oz fresh lime juice
- Nori (dried seaweed), garnish
- Ice cubes
Begin by infusing the Joseph Magnus Vigilant Gin with nori. Place two sheets of crumbled nori into a clean glass container or bottle. Pour the gin over the nori, ensuring that it is fully submerged. Seal the container or bottle and let it infuse for at least 24 hours, preferably in a cool, dark place. After 24 hours, strain the infused gin through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth to remove the nori pieces.
Combine the infused gin, dry vermouth, and fresh lime juice in a mixing glass or cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice cubes. Shake the mixture vigorously for about 15-20 seconds. Strain the cocktail into a chilled glass. Garnish with a small strip of nori (dried seaweed) placed on the rim or floated on top of the drink.
Blue Cheese and Gin Martini
Savory is in, and no cocktail does it better than a mix of gin, blue cheese, and olives.
- 2 oz Joseph Magnus Vigilant Gin
- .5 oz dry vermouth
- .5 oz crumbled blue cheese
- .5 oz olive juice
- Ice
- Blue cheese-stuffed olives, garnish
In a shaker, shake olive juice and blue cheese crumbles until combined. Add Joseph Magnus Vigilant Gin and dry vermouth, and shake vigorously with ice. Strain the cocktail mixture into a well-chilled martini glass. Garnish with blue cheese-stuffed olives.
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