Garnish when drinking alone?

Obviously by my post count, I'm sort of a noob so bear with me. Do you guys garnish your drinks when drinking by yourself? We had a get together at the house last weekend and I have a ton of umbrellas, cherries, and pineapple wedges left...should I feel weird about making myself a drink and doing it up all the way? Thanks...I've already learned a ton from these boards!

Go for it. The garnish can be an integral part of the drink, especially if it adds a particular taste or aroma. For example, a Mai Tai and Zombie definitely lose something when you leave out the mint sprig.

As for non-edible/non-smellable garnishes like umbrellas and swizzles, I think visual appeal is a big part of the experience too, so if it floats your outrigger, I say stick 'em in!

[ Edited by: MrBaliHai 2008-01-27 14:28 ]

What's the sense of enjoying a cocktail if you aren't going to do it right? I wouldn't feel right about drinking a mai tai if it didn't have a slice of pineapple, a cherry, an orchid and a frilly paper parasol in it. Even for breakfast, if you're having a tropical drink, you need to garnish.

In desperate times, I've downed a mai tai or two sans garnish. But Mr. Bali Hai is right - the garnish is often an essential component of the drink. Since it sits right under your nostrils when sipping, the garnish can add an aromatic quality that highlights the flavors of the fluids. My theory for why so many knock-off mai tai recipes include pineapple juice is that the imitators were fooled by the aroma of the pineapple wedge / cherry garnish.

Garnish matters.

If you don't want to garnish your drink, dont. Its your drink, drink it how you want to. But, if you are going to do something, do it right.

And... proper, or at least interesting, garnish is part of the art of drinking.

And...

Welcome to TC. Always glad to have a new drinker on board!

Go for the garnish! thats what makes the drink complete and without it youll always lack something..

Garnish your drink as if it were your wages.

Thanks guys...after all this reassurance I made myself an excellent mai tai garnished to the hilt...you're all right, it was great. As an added bonus I seem to feel much less like an alcoholic with a pineapple slice and a sprig of mint in the glass!

On 2008-01-28 07:09, Jason Wickedly wrote:
.... I seem to feel much less like an alcoholic with a pineapple slice and a sprig of mint in the glass!

I am so going to use that line!

Can we work out some sort of royalty payment for it? I'll pay in rum.....