Decorating Cocktails
Garnishes add eye appeal and can turn a simple cocktail into something special: and for some people the cocktail's decoration is as important as its taste! Moreover quite often a garnish is more than an accessory and for classic cocktails: simple substitutions can make an entirely different drink; a Martini, for example, when garnished with an onion instead of the olive, becomes a Gibson.

Many cocktails are classically decorated with standard garnishes: above all maraschino cherries, but also sticks, twists, squeezes, olives, mint, and fresh-picked edible flowers. Even traditional garnishes can be used with creativity: think of all the different combinations of fruit slices and edible flowers you can make: it's only a matter of creativity!

Color
Tough quite difficult to prepare, layered drinks allows you to use your creativity, playing with the ingredients' colours: think of the many variations of Pousse café, for exemple, like the Pousse l'Amour or Angel's Delight.

Ice
Many mixed drinks are served on the rocks, so why don't you try adding some colours to your ice cubes? You can freeze just about anything into the ice, from small curls of lemon or orange rind to edible flower petals.

Frosting
One often used method of decorating cocktails is that which is called frosting. Frosting leaves an edge of sugar, salt, cocoa, or any other fine powder, on the rim of the glass: this is a standard decoration for some classical cocktails, such as Margarita. But using small drops of food coloring in the powder will certainly render your glass more attractive.

Orange, lemon and lime
The twist, which is usually a lemon, or an orange, adds not only an elegant touch of colour, but also a hint of bitter lemon in cocktails like a Rob Roy or a Martini. Moreover a twist of lemon - or of lime - can be twisted in many ways, and combined with other garnishes.

The squeeze, which is also usually a lemon, is reserved for tall drinks like the Pimm's Punch that require a touch of fresh juice for accent. The lime squeeze is the standard garnish for tall drinks like the Daiquiri, the Cuba Libre and the Gin and Tonic. As for the twist of lemon, the squeeze can be combined on sticks with other elements: from pineapple wedges to cherries or kiwi slices.

Creative decorations
Experienced bartenders are not content with standard garnishes, and use their kowledge combined with their imagination to catch their customers' attentions. An example of creative cocktail decoration is the Royal Caribbean cruise line bars' Chameleon cocktail: the amount of its ingredients can be varied in order to change the drink's color (for example to match it with a lady's dress).

Specialty glassware too can add fun and catch the customer's attention: for example on Royal Caribbean ships' bar you can have your cocktail served in a glass with three stems, that reminds of Poseidon's trident. And one of the hippest trends in bartending today, especially in fashionable night clubs, is serving shots in test tubes.

In other words, there's no limit - except your own imagination - to the kind of solutions you can imagine to make your cocktail more attractive!