How to make a citrus twist

Citrus twists—the strips of fruit zest that incorporate a little of the white inner pith for sturdiness—add aroma and flavor to a cocktail when the bartender releases their essential oils onto the top of a drink. Although it’s child’s play to use a twist properly, lots of people get it wrong. And I’m talking about people who work behind bars, too.  When you cut twists from the fruit, try to make them at least 1/2-inch wide if you want to have enough oils to make a difference to the drink.  Some people use a zester to cut their twists, and that can yield a pretty-looking garnish, but the idea of introducing the essential oils to the drink gets lost.

Hold the twist over the cocktail with the colored side pointing toward the surface of the drink. Hold each end of the twist between your thumb and forefinger. Turn one end clockwise and the other counterclockwise. The oils will be released and will fall onto the top of the drink. Now rub the colored side of the twist around the rim of the glass so that any remaining oils adhere to the rim of the glass, and drop the twist into the drink.

Wanna get flashy? You can set a flame to those oils and watch them sparkle as they fly from the twist. To accomplish this, it’s good to cut very wide twists. Place the twist on the bar next to the drink with the colored side resting on the bar. Now light a match, and hold the match close to the top of the drink. Take the twist in your other hand and hold it colored side out by the sides, using your thumb on one side and your first two or three fingers on the other side. Hold the twist over the match* and squeeze it to release its oils. Blow out the match, drop the twist into the drink and look at the admiration in the eyes of your guest.

*Hint: when flaming orange twists it’s good to warm the over the match for a couple of seconds to coax the oils to the surface.