For Impressive Cocktails, Always Express This Side Of Your Citrus Peel

When you're the bartender for home get-togethers, it's helpful to know things like the golden ratio for making almost any cocktail, and home bar drink tips that save money. But don't overlook citrus peel twists for cocktails that will have your guests asking for more. Citrus garnishes don't just give drinks colorful flair, they elevate their overall flavor. Sean Satterlee, beverage director for The Betty and St. Julep at Atlanta's Kimpton Sylvan Hotel, told us how to release the aromatic oils from the peels by expressing the correct side.

"The outer skin side should be facing the drink, and expressing the peel allows the citrus oils to be released toward the drink," Satterlee explained to The Takeout. "Those oils contain flavor and aroma. The inner pith side contains bitter flavors and should be avoided." One way to express the peel is by holding it with your fingers at each end, horizontally over the cocktail (skin down), and squeezing the long sides together. You could also hold it the same way, but twist the ends in opposite directions, instead. The expressed oils float on the cocktail, providing citrus flavor without sweetness, and aroma that enhances the taste.

If you don't want too much potent citrus oil in your cocktail, squeeze the peel higher above the glass so less goes in. After expressing the oils, you could rub the peel around the rim of the glass. Then, drop it in the cocktail, throw it out, or place it on the rim.

Impress your guests and tweak the flavor of the citrus peel by flaming it when you squeeze. As Sean Satterlee described this method, "Flaming the oils as they are expressed out of the peel gives the oils a caramelized note." Hold a peel in one hand with your fingers above the glass, at an angle that's not too close that soot falls in. Move a lit wooden match back and forth over the peel for a few seconds to warm it up, and then squeeze. The oils will briefly flame before landing in the cocktail.

Whether you plan to flame them or not, making citrus peel garnishes (one of several reasons to stop throwing citrus peels away) begins with the right fruit. Look for smooth skin and fruit that isn't underripe and hard, soft and overripe, or old and dried out. Oranges, lemons and grapefruit all work well. Limes have thinner skin, so make sure they're ripe. Some twist pairings are traditional, like lemon with martinis, orange for Negronis, and lime-topped gin and tonics. For other cocktails, choose a twist that goes with the drink's flavors, or mirrors the fruit used in it. Wash the fruit, then make half-inch wide strips with a vegetable peeler or paring knife. Press down evenly so the entire peel is the same thickness, with just a small amount of the pith.

You can cut citrus peels up to a day ahead. Just keep the peels hydrated with a moist paper towel in an air-tight container in the refrigerator, or in a glass of ice water until you're ready to use them.