These are some of the cleanest cut, most decorative (yet functional) lemon, lime and orange TWISTS you can make. (If you’re looking for → bartender style lemon and lime SQUEEZES ← then click this link.)
Before I go any further I’m pretty sure most of my bartender friends are saying right now “there are no such things as orange and lime twists, not as a part of any of today’s drink recipes anyway!”
That’s ok. The addition of a decorative lime twist and/or orange twist to certain fruit based tiki-type cocktails turns great tasting flavorful fun drinks into something eye popping and “Wow!” upon delivery.
When added to a drink and presented alongside a chef’s carefully arranged and garnished meal something as simple in concept as a twist turns a meal into an experience seldom enjoyed anywhere but the finest dining establishments.
Now on to the documentation.
How to Prepare Citrus Fruits for Long Spiral Twist Cutting.
The technique I’m showing you was taught to me by a Midtown New York Hilton chef who was working as a chef at the Hurlingham’s Restaurant.
First, you’ll need your thinnest edged barspoon (or file the edge of one down if none of yours have an edge that’s thin enough). For this first example I’ll start with the orange, as its large and the easiest to demonstrate.
Slice off the top of the orange leaving a flat surface about an inch and a half to two inches wide:
After slicing off the top of the orange carefully insert your barspoon between the orange rind and the white pith:
Now take your spoon and carefully work your way around the entire circumference of the orange, and work your way down toward the bottom of the orange as well, taking care not to break through the skin at any point.
Once you’ve successfully separated the rind from the pith and meat of the fruit you can begin creating the long slice:
Continue to carefully cut the skin of the orange into one long thin piece:
Next we remove the white pith as best we can (this action is similar to fileting a fish):
Continue this process until as much of the whitish colored pith is removed as you can without cutting through the peel:
The orange peel is very long so cut it in half. The final step is twirling each half of the skin around the shaft of the barspoon into a tight curl:
Next carefully slide the long orange twist off the spoon and place into a container where it can’t unwind:
Next do the same with the lime, except with the lime you’ve got to force the spoon into the meat of the lime, and not between the rind and the pith. Limes are tough:
Proceed as with the orange by separating the pith from the skin and discarding the pith:
Now twirl it and store it:
The same procedure is carried out for the lemon.
Twists are only good for a day, so cut as many as you think you’ll need without cutting buckets full you’ll only throw away. Don’t worry if you run out, it’s bound to happen once in a while. I hope this helps you make better garnishes.
If you’re looking for → bartender style lemon and lime SQUEEZES ← then click this link.
Site Author, David J. Curtis: David Curtis, a seasoned professional with decades of bartending and bar management experience began his career in Midtown Manhattan, NY, tending and managing bars before diving into Manhattan’s bustling nightlife club scene. Over the years, he has mastered high-volume, high-pressure bartending as the lead bartender in iconic Midtown clubs and tended bar briefly in the Wall Street area, generating over $1,350,000.00 annually in personal drink sales. He has since extended his expertise to establishments in Georgia and now Tampa in Exclusive Platinum Service Awards Clubs, Florida. David’s roles as a Bartending Instructor at the American Bartending School in Tampa, while maintaining a second job bartending, and his years experience of managing bars, and working as a Brand Ambassador along with his extensive professional library of over 1,000 bartending books, highlight his dedication to continually refining his craft. He holds a diploma in Bar Management and is BarSmarts certified by Pernod Ricard.
