What I Ate For Dinner

Cocktails are a wonderful addition to any meal, although too often forgotten in the bustle of food preparation. Tonight, we focus only on our potent pals, and point out a few tips and tricks for garnishes that dress the drinks up. For our first installment of "What I Drank After Dinner," we'll limit ourselves to piña cola, grapefruit margarita and what I'm calling the "Mid-Missouri Rambler." More to follow . . .

First, the garnishes. A semi-frozen lemon twist can add color, texture and interest to any drink involving lemon juice. Simply shave off a section of lemon rind with a channel knife from the circumference of a halved lemon, twist, scrunch and freeze. You really only need to freeze these for about 20 minutes; as such, their natural oils will remain vivacious and available to season your drink while the juice will coagulate to maintain the structure of the twist.

Second, the coconut salt. Add salt to shaved coconut and allow the mixture to mellow overnight (or at least a few hours). This will give you a dry, salty garnish with body and a hint of sweetness to all sorts of drinks. This mixture modifies the full-on saltiness of the typical margarita rim, without resorting to the sugary coating of some piña coladas.

For the piña colada: Start with chopped and shaved, fresh pineapple and a few ice cubes in a blender. Add Malibu and Bacardi, then blend. There are also coconut-flavored pastes available in the grocery store, as well as fresh coconut, with which to contend. I find that turning fresh coconut into workable coconut milk is more work than reward, and that the pastes don't really surpass the Malibu. Hence, the above ingredient lineup. Blend until smooth but still with texture, and serve in a snifter with coconut salt rim and a sprig of pineapple leaf for garnish.

For the grapefruit margarita, start by garnishing the rim of a martini glass with coconut salt and freezing. Then drizzle a thimble-full of Agave nectar in the bottom. Add three parts grapefruit juice to one part lemon juice, then tequila. For effervescence, add seltzer water (sans high fructose syrup), and serve.

For the Mid-Missouri Rambler, start with chilled hibiscus tea in a coconut salt-rimmed tumbler. Add rum and grapefruit and/or lemon juice. This is a great summer drink, so add seltzer water for a fizzy boost. Serve chilled.