How to Garnish a Martini

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: March 29, 2019 References

Martinis are typically made with vodka or gin, and they tend to be dry rather than sweet. However, there is a lot of room for experimentation. The type of garnish that you use significantly alters the taste of the drink. Olives, onions, and citrus are the most common garnishes for most martinis. Try out maraschino cherries, apple slices, or peppers to add variety or flavor to cocktail-style martinis”.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Flavoring with Olives

1
Choose green olives for vodka and gin martinis. Olives are a classic martini garnish. Traditional olives to use include Spanish Queen and Green Barouni olives. Black olives are an option, but only use them for a non-traditional martini recipe.^{[1]
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- It’s your choice to use olives with or without seeds and with or without something extra stuffed in them.
- You don’t have to go out of your way to get fancy olives. The basic ones you’d find at the grocery work just fine.
- Don’t add olives to fruity martinis because the tastes won’t mix well.
2
Rinse the olives off. Olives usually come in a jar in a pickle or brine liquid. A dirty martini leaves that brine on the olive, and sometimes adds an extra splash of brine. If you’re not making a dirty martini, be sure to rinse off the olives with water before adding them to the drink.^{[2]
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- Briefly run the olives under some cold water to rinse them. You don’t need to wash them for a long time.
- If you are making drinks in your home or with friends, ask if they want the olives rinsed or with the brine left on them.
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3
Skewer the olives or drop them straight into the drink. If you have small skewers, stick one through one or more olives and place it in the drink. If you don’t have those, wooden toothpicks work, as well. Otherwise, drop the olives directly into the drink.
- This is more about the drinker’s preference. Some people want to briefly add the olive taste to the drink and then remove the olives. That’s when skewers come in handy.
- Another option is to lay the skewer across the glass so the olives just barely touch the top of the drink.
4
Experiment with stuffed olives. If you’d like to add some different flavors to your martini, select olives stuffed with a variety of other foods. Pimento is the most common stuffing, and is easy to find. For something more exotic, get olives stuffed with almonds, garlic, or cheese.^{[3]
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- If you are making the drink for someone else, it’s good to mention what type of olives you have so they can decide if they want that or not.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Garnishing with Onions

1
Make a Gibson martini with pearl onions. When garnished with onion, a martini is called a Gibson martini. Use small pearl onions, which are often marketed for cocktails. They usually come in a jar and are often pickled in brine.^{[4]
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- If you’re in a pinch, try garnishing with a slice of regular white or sweet onion, but remember that it might not quite give you the taste you are hoping for.
2
Rinse the onion off for a subtler taste. Onions are sometimes pickled with paprika or turmeric, along with the pickling brine. If you have onions that are adding too much of the wrong kind of flavor to your drink, rinse them off quickly with cold water.
- Keep in mind that rinsing them will take away some of the flavor, so only do it if you feel it’s absolutely necessary.
3
Spear the onion with a toothpick or drink skewer. You have the choice to skewer the onions or place them directly in the drink. Ask the drinker which they prefer. Rest the toothpick against the side of the cocktail glass when you serve the drink.
- The skewer is convenient because it allows the drinker to easily pull the onion out of the drink if they want to eat it.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Freshening a Martini with Citrus

1
Choose between a wedge of fruit or a slice of rind. Impart the drink with a strong citrus flavor by adding a wedge of citrus. Use a sliced off piece of rind to add just a hint. A spiral or slice of rind is the most common citrus garnish, but wedges are used occasionally.
- The most common citrus fruits to use are lemon, lime, and orange. However, feel free to experiment with something bitter, like grapefruit.
2
Cut a wedge of fruit with a sharp knife. Hold the fruit in your non-dominant hand and the knife in your dominant hand. Press the tip of the knife into the top of the fruit. Gently slide the knife down the fruit until you reach the bottom. Make another cut about ½ inch (12.7 mm) from that. Pull the wedge out of the fruit.
- Always use caution with sharp knives so you don’t cut yourself.
- Cut a larger wedge if you want, but keep in mind that a larger slice adds more tartness.
- Squeeze a bit of the juice into the drink and then set the wedge in the glass.
3
Use a paring knife to slice off a strip of citrus rind. With a sharp knife, slice off a thin spiral from around the citrus fruit. Make sure you don’t cut into the pith, the white spongy part, of the fruit, because that will impart a bitter taste. Cut the spiral strip about ¼ inch (6.35 mm) thick and four to six inches (10 to 15 cm) long.^{[5]
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- Another option is to cut an oval slice off of the citrus rind. Still be sure not to cut so deep into the fruit that you include the pith.
- Using a peeler rather than a knife is a faster option if you have one.
4
Drape the strip over the side of the cocktail glass. Make sure that one end rests inside the drink to impart some essential oils into the drink. Alternatively, you can gently drop the rind into the drink and let it float on the surface.^{[6]
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- Gently squeeze the oval slice or the strip to add a few drops of pure citrus oil into the drink. You’ll see the oil floating on top of the drink.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Experimenting with other Garnishes

1
Add maraschino cherries to fruity or chocolate martinis. Sweet fruits like cherries are not typically used in traditional martinis. If you have a sour apple martini or a white chocolate martini, cherries add a nice syrupy sweetness, as well as brighten the color for a festive drink.
- Plop two or three cherries into the drink, or skewer them and lean them against the side of the glass.
2
Use a slice of green apple to add non-citrus tartness. Apples are a great garnish for appletinis or other fruity martinis. Granny Smith apples add tartness rather than sweetness, so they are the most commonly used. Cut slices or cubes to garnish the drink with.^{[7]
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- Place them in a container with some lemon juice to keep them fresh if you cut them before you are ready to use them.
3
Make a spicy martini with a pickled pepper. If you want to try something even less common, add a sliver or whole pepper to the drink. Pickled pepperoncini or jalapeno are common peppers to use. Remember that both are pretty spicy, so add a small piece for just a hint of spice.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I make foam for the top of the martini?

Community Answer

Shake the martini in a cocktail shaker quite fast for about 90 seconds. Serve straight after and the foam will appear. Don't be gentle when pouring, or the foam will be knocked out and sit in the bottom of the cocktail shaker.