Post #2558 by DaneTiki on Fri, Jun 21, 2002 11:19 AM

Try this one: take a pineapple wedge and slit it to sit firmly on the edge of your drink. toothpick a cherry and thin slice (a slice, mind you, not a wedge) of lime to the top of your pineapple wedge. on the very edge of the toothpick, place a small cube of dried bread (not a crouton... the toasted garlic aroma kinda kills the drink) that was just dipped in lemon extract. ignite the bread and serve! (Just be sure to extinguish the torch before taking a sip... wouldn't want to ingite the missus' beehive!)

This sounds a lot like the flaming garnish recipes in Matt Maranian's essential "Pad." My experience trying one of these out was less than profitable. Preparing the skewer, crouton and lemon extract exactly as described, I lit it on fire and conveyed it to my roommate's room to show off. Sadly, the smoke generated by this unassuming garnish was enough to excite the passions of the smoke detector, which was to say the least, a buzzkill, and then as I was carrying it back to the kitchen, the skewer burnt through and the flaming crouton fell onto the carpet. Unsurprisingly, I chose not to repeat the act at the party I was throwing the next week in our apartment complex's sprinkler-equipped party room.