12 Garnishes to Enhance Your Frozen Cocktails

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Warm weather is the perfect excuse to start thinking about delicious frozen drinks. With summer just around the corner, the ideas of outdoor barbecues, picnics, and some dreamy sunset cocktails are starting to become a reality. Whether it’s a big batch of frozen margs or some fruit-based concoction, frozen cocktails are the perfect way to bring festive energy to any gathering. There are numerous reasons why we love a good frozen cocktail. The most important thing is that they help you cool down when the heat goes up and are incredibly fun to sip on as they make you feel like you’re having an adult slushie. What makes them even more special is the appearance as they usually look like something that came from your beach vacation fantasy. Luckily, the appearance is easy to nail down at home just by choosing the right garnishes.

Garnishes elevate every drink. They immediately make cocktails look better, but besides the aesthetics, they usually also enhance the flavor and make the whole cocktail-drinking experience more pleasurable. As a culinary professional who hosts pop-up dinners, I love mixing and matching the right garnishes with the frozen cocktails I serve. There are many options out there so you can either let your creativity run wild or keep things classic and simple but with just as much impact. However, not every garnish can work with frozen cocktails, so to make things easier for you this season, we’ve collected the list of the garnishes you should be adding to frozen cocktails.

Once I discovered edible dried rose petals, I couldn’t help but sprinkle them on everything. They’re like little pink and purple confetti and can make anything look beautiful, including baked goods and carefully crafted drinks such as matcha or just a simple latte. Unsurprisingly, they work just as well in cocktails, and are easy to use on frozen cocktails, as the ice keeps them from sinking to the bottom, which sometimes happens with other drinks. With no effort other than sprinkling some on top of your drink, your frozen cocktail will look like a professional has made it.

The best part about using rose petals is that they are perfectly safe to eat, so you don’t need to avoid them when you’re sipping and enjoying your drink. They can even add a pleasant, mild floral taste, which pairs really well with many flavor profiles. Rose petals can also work as a garnish that indicates what’s in your cocktail, so if you’re adding some rose syrup or rose water to your drink, adding some rose petals as a garnish is a no-brainer. If you’ve never thought about making a rose-flavored cocktail, see this as your sign to give it a try. Rose-flavored drinks are an underrated delight and will give a sophisticated twist to any cocktail.

I like a fancy garnish as much as the next person, but sometimes it’s best to choose something classic and consistently good, like a fruit wedge or fruit slices. In summer, strawberries are my favorite fruit to use as a garnish. They look really pretty, and taste amazing as they’re at their peak. They’re an obvious choice for a drink like a strawberry daiquiri, which is not really innovative, but experience has taught me that they’re always a crowd-pleaser.

While it’s a really clever idea to use frozen strawberries instead of fresh ones when making daiquiris, for your garnish, it’s best to go with fresh. Frozen strawberries work great in your cocktail because they don’t dilute your drink the way regular ice would. However, nobody wants to bite into a frozen strawberry. A fresh strawberry slice brings a lovely chew and sweet, fruity juiciness to the experience. It also looks much better as it holds its shape well. You can cut a little slit directly into the strawberry and nestle the whole slice on the rim. Alternatively, make a strawberry skewer by threading fresh strawberry slices onto a toothpick and nestle it on top of your cocktail glass.

Gone are the days when a single mint leaf was the mandatory cocktail garnish. Nowadays, you’re likely to find herbs like fresh basil, sage, or even whole sprigs of rosemary or thyme. Introducing savory botanical flavors into your cocktails can be intimidating for those who have never tried them before, but they’ll make more sense once you’ve tried them. These earthy and herbaceous flavors are incredibly delicious in all types of cocktails, especially those based on gin, tequila, or vodka. In fact, they almost feel ingenius.

If you have come across herb sprigs as garnishes before, you might wonder if they’re just as effective in frozen cocktails. I’m here to tell you that they work amazingly in frozen cocktails! Often, frozen cocktails lean to the sweeter side, and a herb sprig can help to bring some balance to all this sweetness. They can float right on top of your boozy slushie, or you can stick them into your drink upright, just like a straw. The subtle herbal flavor will slowly infuse as the ice melts in your drink, increasing the flavor intensity as you drink. My favorite is to add a sprig of rosemary to a velvety frozen gin and tonic.

A super obvious garnish for cocktails is a lemon, orange, or lime slice. While these also work fine with frozen cocktails, they’re not the most exciting garnish you can use. However, using dried or dehydrated citrus wheel will make your cocktail look much more sophisticated. Dried citrus wheels look much more dramatic than a fresh slice would, and they even infuse a delicate citrusy sweetness into your drink. It’s no wonder they are all the rage at the moment. Plus, they go well with many types of cocktails, from frozen negronis to frozen margaritas.

The exciting part is that you can use citrus fruits that are harder to find or those that aren’t in season. Since they’re dried, these garnishes are shelf-stable. Opt for some blood orange, Meyer lemon, key lime, or even a mandarin slice. You could even try some calamansi, the Filipino citrus that works great in cocktails. All of these would do wonders for a frozen cocktail. Usually, you can find a selection of various citrus fruits at boutique liquor stores or even some local gin distilleries.

Some things are classic for a reason and don’t need changing. A salt rim on the glass of your margarita or paloma is one of those things — a perfect complement to these tequila-based cocktails. The same philosophy applies to the sugar rim, an elegant garnish ideal for those with a sweet tooth or to accompany cocktails that have a more prominent bitter profile. The good news is that the fact your cocktail is frozen won’t affect the salt or sugar rim negatively, and you can just as easily use a salt (or sugar) rim on your frozen margarita as you can on a regular one.

In fact, one could argue that a salt or sugar rim is even better on a frozen cocktail, as the crystal-like texture of salt and sugar is similar to ice crystals, making your drink feel really cohesive. There are also ways to spice up salt and sugar to make your drink even more exciting. Why not use a chile salt rim for a frozen spicy margarita or a vanilla sugar on a frozen Bellini. You’ll add texture and flavor and impress your guests with just one easy addition.

Cotton candy is the nostalgic childhood treat many of us still love even as adults. Besides being incredibly fun to eat, cotton candy looks beautiful, making it a pretty nifty garnish for cocktails. Though you can use it for regular cocktails, it’s also suitable for frozen drinks as the icy temperature can help preserve its integrity. This means that it won’t sink to the bottom or immediately dissolve. You can also shape it the way you’d like it to appear on your drink. Make a flat, disk-like puff on top of your glass to make it look like a cloud, or shape a pointy top to create a mountain of cotton candy. Don’t forget that it will eventually start to melt into your drink with time, so it’s best to add the cotton candy just when you’re about to serve the cocktail. 

You can even put cotton candy into the center by whipping up a cotton candy margarita. This is one of those viral TikTok cocktails you should actually try. Make a cotton candy frozen margarita (or any other type of cocktail) by blending some cotton candy into your drink to add sweetness, flavor, and color. Then, add more on top of your drink to garnish and signalize what’s inside the drink.

If you like more natural-looking cocktails, consider using a cinnamon stick that can work beautifully as a garnish. It adds an earthy feel, and looks great with frozen cocktails, especially those that have warm orange and red hues, such as frozen negroni or frozen old fashioned. While the cinnamon stick won’t necessarily make the drink taste strongly of cinnamon, it introduces a subtle cinnamon aroma, which enhances the drinking experience. This aroma is complementary with fruit cocktails, or the ones based on bourbon, amaretto, or spiced rum.

Now, if you want to take your frozen cocktail to the next level, torch your cinnamon stick. Besides the impressive smokiness that creates even more aroma, this will contribute to the visual appeal and bring all the drama. Light one end of the stick with a kitchen torch (or even just a match) and let it burn for long enough to create a decent amount of smoke but not long enough that you’re choking on it. The heat will also fill the air with a beautiful cinnamon scent.

Perhaps you wouldn’t think to top your frozen cocktail with more ice, but frozen ice spheres can be a really effective garnish when used properly. Ice can be a great way to add decor, and if you include florals, herbs, fruit, or candy inside them, they can be a great way to introduce more flavor. They’ll look like little glass shapes on top of your cocktail and keep your drink cold for longer. This is an extra bonus, as frozen cocktails tend to melt quite quickly in the summer heat.

Alternatively, make ice cubes with juice or pour a cocktail mixture into ice molds and use these to reinforce the flavor rather than diluting it. Or, make your ice using a surprising flavor addition. For example, you can make tabasco-spiked ice cubes that will slowly release some spiciness into your drink or add some sour candies to get your mouth tingling as you sip. You’ll need some spherical-shaped ice cube molds, but any interesting shape would work. You can pop just two or three cubes on top of your drink or cover the entire surface with ice cubes for a more dramatic effect.

I’m probably not the only one whose favorite childhood drink was a Shirley Temple. It felt like a grown up to order something that looked like a cocktail and all, but to be perfectly honest, the real reason was probably because of the maraschino cherry that came with it. Those sweet little orbs tasted like candy and playing with the stem was part of that fun. The experience as an adult is no different, which is why maraschino cherries are still a great cocktail garnish. They feel fancy and taste great. On a frozen cocktail, you can lay them right on top like you’re decorating an ice cream.

For a little more pzazz, make a maraschino cherry skewer. Thread a couple of cherries onto a toothpick — you can even remove the stems to make them look like little ruby marbles –and lay the toothpick across the top of your glass rim. To bring the whole experience full circle, why not make a boozy frozen Shirley Temple and reawaken the childhood fun?

Another one of my favorite classic garnishes is a pineapple wedge. Pineapple is one of those fruits that screams tropical, and if you’re making a frozen summer cocktail, a pineapple wedge is the perfect garnish. It makes a homemade drink feel like you’re at a resort, and there’s just nothing better than this to set you in the mood for the summer.

There’s one caveat. Don’t reach for a can of pineapple to make this garnish. It will look much better if you’re using fresh pineapple. Just cut out a wedge and leave the skin on. There is a reason why all the professional bartenders do it like this. It holds the pineapple steady, keeps it from falling apart, and gives you something to hold onto if you want to nibble on the pineapple during or after you finish the drink. It may be a little extra effort to use a fresh pineapple, but if you’re making a big batch of frozen cocktails, one whole pineapple will give you plenty of material to work with. As pineapple is finicky to cut, be careful not to prick your finger.

Everyone who has a serious sweet tooth should know that there is a cocktail genre that falls somewhere between a dessert and a beverage. They tend to look like adult milkshakes and make really exciting treats. This category holds cocktails such as a frozen mudslide or a frozen white Russian, with many other tasty options that you can whip up as a perfect after-dinner drink. While chocolate shavings can be a nice garnish for these, it’s really worth making a chocolate rim on the serving glasses. Besides looking elegant, you also get a little chocolate with each sip.

A chocolate rim can be even more effective in a frozen cocktail as your glass will be colder, and the chocolate won’t melt as quickly. Plus, it’s a lot easier to make it than it might look at first. All you need to do is melt some chocolate and place it in a small bowl with a relatively flat bottom. Turn your glass upside down and dip the opening into the chocolate. Carefully remove it and either leave it as is or add some chocolate sprinkles to make it extra chocolatey. Then place your glass in the fridge. Once the chocolate has solidified, it’s ready to go.

If you want to go full-on childhood whimsy with your frozen drinks, look no further than popping candy. It’s one of the most underrated candies to use as a garnish, and there’s nothing that can match with the delightful popping experience happening on the palate. The combination of the icy drink and cracking candy on your tongue will make the cocktail feel like a wholesome experience. This combination will definitely create an air of excitement and buzz at your party.

While you can throw a little on top of your frozen cocktail, coating the rim of the glass is a much better idea. Just copy the classic rim-coating method that you typically do with sugar or the way you coat the rim with salt to make a classic margarita. To start, coat the rim with some lemon or lime, and while it’s still wet, dip the glass into a shallow plate filled with candy. Once it’s evenly coated, turn the glass, and the candy should stay on the rim. Besides the taste, this colorful edge makes a great decoration. The best thing is not to tell anyone it’s popping candy. Just watch your guests take a sip and their reaction once the candy starts popping.