Elevating Beverages with Garnishes
Now that brunch season is upon us, I wanted to share my knife skills & garnish expertise by teaching you how to make a butterfly garnish out of a mandarin that’s sure to impress your guests even at the boujiest of brunches.
Garnishes are often used as a decoration or embellishment to accompany food or a beverage. A truly great garnish will add visual interest to an item as well as offer a complimentary flavor that pairs well with the dish.
If you’re wondering where I got my passion for garnishes – it began when I was in college. At the time I actually took a class that taught us how to create delicious edible garnishes that would enhance a dish. I also worked in the kitchen of one of the dining halls for a year as a professional garnish maker. When I wasn’t busy sweeping up sprinkles by the ice cream machine, I was in the back, cutting & creating all of the garnishes for the dining hall’s buffet which included an endless supply of vegetable flowers like tomato roses & radish ranunculus.
These mandarin butterfly garnishes make a wonderful addition to a fruit platter or they can be used as a mimosa topper, as they sit perfectly on the rim of the glass. The flavors of the mandarin pair well with a traditional mimosa, or you can opt to spice things up by making the mimosa with mandarin juice instead of orange juice.
Mandarin Butterfly Mimosa
Typically I make my mimosas with mostly champagne or prosecco, and only a moderate sized splash of orange juice for color.
As this garnish is on the large side, you’ll likely prefer to remove the butterfly before drinking. I like to add extra flavor to my mimosa by squeezing the mandarin butterfly into the mimosa & then dropping it into the drink, the same as you would do with a lemon or lime wedge in a cocktail. With the size of the butterfly it’s best to only fill your champagne flutes about 75% of the way to account for the volume of the mandarin & a little room for the splash & bubbles that the fruit will create.
Instructions: Cutting a Mandarin Butterfly
Instructions
- Cut the Mandarin into quarters using a paring knife.
- Starting from the top point – slice the mandarin segment between peel and the fruit stopping half way down.
- Flip to the other side.
- Slice the mandarin between the peel and fruit stopping a quarter way down.
- Cut the mandarin vertically – you will cut through 100% of the fruit, but you will only cut through the top half and the bottom quarter of the peel as you’ll need part of the peel intact to hold the shape of the butterfly together.
- Fold open to create a butterfly.
- Repeat with the other citrus segments.
- Garnish on the rim of your mimosa & enjoy.
If you prefer video directions – I also have a video tutorial version of this garnish on my @HousewifeHospitality TikTok account.
If you make these mandarin butterflies to accompany your next mimosa, be sure to tag me @HousewifeHospitality or use my hashtag #HousewifeHospitality to show off your work!
