In a cup of hot coffee, he’s not so frosty (photo courtesy Illy).

There may not be enough snow on the ground to build a snowman, but you can build one atop a cappuccino or latte, with this recipe from Illy.

This easy-to-make snowman is fun for adults, and can be adapted to hot chocolate for kids.

Depending on the age of the kids and your disposition to allow them coffee (the kids in our neighborhood seem to live on mocha lattes), a latte is only 1/6 coffee; a cappuccino, 1/3. See details below.
 
 
RECIPE: SNOWMAN LATTE OR CAPPUCCINO

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Equipment

Both drinks originated in Italian cafés, but are slightly different, based on the amount of milk.

 
 
THE HISTORY OF LATTE ART

Latte art was enabled by the development of microfoam, a very velvety foam enabled by the steam wand of a cappuccino machine. The wand foams the milk in a stainless-steel pitcher; the pitcher pours the foam onto the top of the coffee.

The combination of the natural crema atop the cup of espresso and velvety microfoam allows patterns to be made. (Note that other types of milk steamers/foamers do not create microfoam.)

Latte art in the United States developed in the Seattle coffee culture of the 1980s and 1990s. By 1989 the heart pattern was a signature at David Schomer’s Espresso Vivace and the rosette pattern followed, based on a photograph Schomer saw of latte art in an Italian café.

Here’s the history of espresso, which originated at the end of the 19th century.

You can create special holiday cocktails with seasonal ingredients—cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, peppermint.

But you can add a touch of red and green to Martinis and Margaritas as well.

Here, some suggestions to get you thinking about holiday cocktail garnishes.
 
 
OPENING THOUGHTS

If you want a red and green motif, cruise the aisles of the produce section, or start with these lists.

We don’t like to use raw cranberries. They just become detritus in the glass: No one eats them. (Some people enjoy chewing on citrus peel and mint leaves and other herbs, so we give them a pass.)

It’s the same with cinnamon sticks: They make a great impression, but they’re expensive and just end up in the trash.

Instead, use the lists below to create pleasing combinations (see photo #5 for an easy favorite).
 
 
FRUIT GARNISHES:

RED FRUIT GARNISHES

Our favorites:

 
Starfruit, which is yellow and provides perfect star slices, is a natural holiday garnish (photo #4).

Other options, like red apples and pears, are more white than red; blood orange, unless you segment it, contributes its orange peel.

Watermelon, although it can be cut into stars, simply isn’t seasonal.

You can add dried cranberries to a clear drink.
Pick bite (a snack bite on a cocktail pick): alternating red and green grapes.
 
 
GREEN FRUIT GARNISHES

 
Not great: green apples (too much white), honeydew (too light, not seasonal).

 
 
VEGETABLE GARNISHES:

RED VEGETABLE GARNISHES

 
Now, on to the veggies.
 
 
GREEN VEGETABLE GARNISHES

Sure, you can use green olives; but how about a sugar snap pea in your Martini instead?

Savory cocktails can be dressed up with:

 
Too pale green: celery, cucumber, endive, zucchini.
 
Pick snack: For a fancy bite, make a pick of cherry tomatoes, ciliegine (bite-size mozzarella balls) and a bit of basil.
 
 
BEYOND FRUITS & VEGETABLES

Glass Rimmers

Check out, from yesterday’s tip: colored sugar and salt glass rimmers (photo #3).

Mini Candy Canes

If they work with the drink, mini candy canes are a fun touch.

Drinking Straws

Instead of a garnish, or in addition to it, consider red-and-white striped straws. They add a “candy cane” touch. You can alternate with green and white versions.
 
 
MORE IDEAS

Also see these articles on cocktail garnishes:

[2] Elegant garnishing for a Martini or other light-colored drink (photo courtesy Style Me Pretty).

[3] Another option for pomegranate arils: on the bottom of the glass (photo courtesy Trendhunter).

[4] The perfect holiday cocktail garnish: a slice of starfruit (carambola,
photo courtesy STKLA).

[5] Another elegant cocktail garnish: spear a raspberry with a sprig of rosemary or thyme (photo courtesy ).

[6] With the right flavor of cocktail, a mini candy cane is fun (here’s the recipe from Mantitlement).

[2] A full rim covering just the top of the glass, with two different seasonings: half salt, half Tajin (at Alma Cocina Latina | Baltimore).

[3] A Thai Margarita rimmed with a blend of black lava salt and hibiscus leaves (at Miro Kitchen | Fairfield, Connecticut).

[4] A Magic Shell rim (at Gordon Ramsay Group).

[5] A celery salt rim on a Bloody Mary (at Pompeian | Facebook) A current favorite is Tajin seasoning.

[6] A tin of Lemon Drop cocktail rimmer (photo © The Party Source).

Make your cocktails more interesting with cocktail glass rimmers. The original cocktail glass rimmer, as far as we know, was the coarse salt on a Margarita glass in 1948. According to Margarita history, it was created in 1948, adapting a long-standing Mexican tradition of a shot of tequila served with a lime wedge and salt.

With the Margarita, the salt rim was visually appealing and added flavor to the drink. Maybe—we can’t find data to substantiate—someone put celery salt on a Bloody Mary rim (photo #5); but the practice was not widespread.

Why it took so long for other glass rims to emerge is anyone’s guess. But some 15 years ago, we first noticed a product called a glass rimmer at the annual specialty food show.

The pioneers were Stirrings and Nantucket Offshore, manufacturers of premium cocktail ingredients. Others followed (you can see them on Amazon.com).

Shallow round tins (photo #6) contained different savory or sweet blends for popular drinks: Bloody Mary, Cosmopolitan, Lemon Drop, and so on.

The rim of the cocktail glass was moistened and twisted in the tin to coat it. Non-cocktail rimmers for hot chocolate and other drinks followed.

Bartenders noticed; and over the years, creative mixologists proceeded to elevate glass rimmers into an art—owing largely to the accessibility of unusual ingredients, from black lava salt to hibiscus leaves.

The rim can be as minimal or deep as the mixologist desires (compare photos #1, #2, and #3).

The most recent evolution is half- or three-quarter rims, which give the drinker the option to partake of the rim seasoning or not.

March 24th is National Cocktail Day.
 
 
MIX AND MATCH RIMS

As you peruse the lists below, consider combining ingredients; for example:

 
You can make the rims seasonal—for example, orange zest and black lava salt for Halloween, and crushed candy canes for the holidays.

The variations are endless, and give you the creativity to layer the flavors you want.
 
 
SAVORY COCKTAIL RIMS

 
 
SWEET COCKTAIL RIMS

 
 
NON-ALCOHOLIC DRINKS

You can use rims on other drinks, for example:

 
 
HOW TO ADHERE THE RIM

Beyond the original adherent—water—mixologists now add another layer of flavor using flavorful adherents.

Orange juice, lemon juice, or other juice (apple, mango, pomegranate, vegetable, you name it) can substitute for water.

For sweet cocktails, the rim can be affixed with honey, maple syrup, or simple syrup (sugar syrup), among other syrups.

For dessert cocktails, you can use caramel or chocolate sauce, even marshmallow cream (we’ve enjoyed a particularly calorie-packed Piña Colada with a rim of marshmallow cream and toasted coconut).

The next time you pour a cocktail at home, first add a rim. Put the adherent liquid in a shallow bowl, and the rimming ingredient (herbs, sugar, etc.) on a saucer.

Dip the glass into the liquid about 1/4 inch deep (or however deep you want the rim).

Then, just place the glass on the dish with the ingredients, and twist to coat.

You’re now an expert rimmer of drinks!
 
 

Do you garnish your cocktails with the same wedge of lime or orange wheel, curl, peel or twist? The same olives and cocktail onions? The same notched strawberry on the rim? The standard celery stick in a Bloody Mary?

Expand your garnish horizons. Presentation is everything; and while no one would turn away an ungarnished cocktail, clever garnishing makes it that much more appealing.

Today we take on general garnishes. Tomorrow: glass rims. After that: holiday garnishes.

FOR STARTERS

 
And while it doesn’t need to be said, we’re saying it:

 
 
LIST OF COCKTAIL GARNISHES

We’ve been playing with different ideas for years. Here’s our master list (and we don’t claim that it’s all-inclusive):

 
 
Have we left off your favorite? Let us know.

Tomorrow: glass rimmers.

[2] Pair tasty combinations; here, mango and jalapeño (photo courtesy Tanqueray | Facebook).

[3] Oil droplets add panache and flavor (photo courtesy Kindred Restaurant | NYC).

[4] Combine two or three different items; here, a cucumber ribbon and grapes (photo Oscar Wilde Restaurant | NYC).

[4] Create mini hors d’oeuvre on a pick (photo courtesy Crate And Barrel.

[1] Dry Soda’s holiday packaging looks great in a stocking or on the bar (photo Dry Sparkling).

[2] Artisan hot sauce with great—not just hot—flavor (photo Horseshoe Brand).

[3] We love this limited edition of Lindt’s Lindor Truffles (photo Lindt USA).

Honey Gummies, made with honey instead of sugar or HFCS, are a step up (photo Lovely Candy).

Stocking stuffers, teacher gifts, small thank-you’s: Here are some favorites this holiday season, in alphabetical order.
 
 
1. DRY SODA: HOLIDAY FLAVORS IN HOLIDAY PACKAGING