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Ah, oranges—the sweet, juicy fruit that just about everybody likes. In addition to being a great snack, oranges are also perfect for garnishing drinks, especially cocktails and certain types of beer like wheat beers and orange ales. Try experimenting with wedges, slices, wheels, and twists by adding them to different beverages for a garnish you’ll want to eat!
Steps
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Wash the orange and then slice the ends off. Place the orange sideways in the middle of a cutting board. Use a sharp kitchen knife to cut the top and bottom off the orange to get rid of the stem and blossom end bits. [1] X Research source
- Hold the orange firmly when you do this, so it doesn't slip or roll while you're cutting. [2]
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Expert Source
Stephen Denning
Community Expert Expert Interview. 30 July 2020. - You can use either a chef’s knife or a paring knife for this, but it's easier if the knife is very sharp.
- Be careful whenever you’re using a sharp knife. Keep your fingers and hands out from under the blade and always cut away from your body. [3]
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Expert Source
Stephen Denning
Community Expert Expert Interview. 30 July 2020.
- Hold the orange firmly when you do this, so it doesn't slip or roll while you're cutting. [2]
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Expert Source
Stephen Denning
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Cut the orange down the middle vertically. Hold the orange firmly with your thumb on one side and your fingers on the other side, so it doesn’t roll away while you cut it. Slice straight down through the middle, from the flat stem end to the flat blossom end. [4] X Research source
- Alternatively, you could stand the orange up on one of the flat ends and cut down through the middle from the top to bottom that way.
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Make 3 even diagonal cuts to cut each half into 3 wedges. Place the halves of the oranges flat-side-down on your cutting board. Slice into the peel diagonally from 1 side down to the middle of the fleshy side on the cutting board, then repeat this for the other side to cut the half into 3 even wedges. Do the same for the other half of the orange. [5] X Research source- It might take a few tries to get the hang of cutting orange halves into 3 perfectly even wedges, but just keep practicing and you’ll be able to do it with no problem soon enough!
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Slice a notch from the flesh to the peel in the middle of each wedge. Flip the wedges over so they are flesh-side-up on the cutting board. Cut down through the center of the flesh in each wedge until just before you reach the orange rind. [6] X Research source
- Be careful not to cut all the way through the orange wedges. But don’t worry if you mess one up. You can always just eat your mistake!
- If you want smaller wedges, you can cut each large wedge in half, then cut a notch into the middle of each of your smaller wedges.
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Stick the wedges on the rims of drink glasses to garnish them. Slide the notch you cut in an orange wedge over the rim of a glass until it sits there on its own. Try garnishing cocktails like Margaritas, Dark and Stormies, and Bloody Marys. Stick the wedges on non-alcoholic beverages like fresh-squeezed orange juice, iced tea, and even glasses of ice water. [7] X Research source
- Other cocktails that go nicely with orange wedges are Pimm’s Cups and Gin Fizzes.
- For a non-alcoholic treat, try adding an orange slice to a glass of ice water, lemon-lime soda, orange juice, or a frozen juice mocktail. [8]
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Expert Source
Stephen Denning
Community Expert Expert Interview. 30 July 2020. - When you’re drinking a beverage with an orange wedge garnish, you can squeeze the wedge into the drink for extra orange flavor. Or, you can just grab it off the rim and eat it!
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Cut both ends off your orange. Place your orange sideways on a cutting board and hold it steady by the sides. Use a sharp chef’s knife or paring knife to cut the top and bottom ends off. [9] X Research source
- Be careful when you’re slicing an orange with a sharp knife. Make sure you have a good grip on it, so it doesn’t slip or roll, and keep your fingers and hands out from under the knife’s blade.
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Slice the orange into round slabs of the desired thickness, starting at one end. Hold the orange steady by the sides. Start cutting from one end by slicing straight down through the orange horizontally, keeping your fingers and hand that you’re holding the orange with out of the way as you cut. Keep slicing until you cut the whole orange into even wheels. [10] X Research source
- Wheels that are about 1 ⁄ 4 in (0.64 cm) thick are a good size for drinks if you’re not sure how big to make them.
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Cut each wheel in half if you want orange slices for your drinks. Lay a wheel flat on your cutting board and cut right through the middle, so you have 2 even slices. Repeat this for each wheel to cut them all into even slices. [11] X Research source
- You could also leave half the orange in wheels and cut half the wheels into slices, if you want a variety of garnish options for drinks.
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Slice a notch into your wheels or slices if you want to put them on glasses. Cut a notch from one side of each wheel into the middle of the wheel. Make a notch in the middle of the flesh of each slice that goes almost to the orange peel. [12] X Research source
- You can skip this if you are planning to put the wheels or slices directly into a drink, rather than on the rim of a glass.
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Stick your wheels and wedges onto glasses or into glasses or pitchers. Try garnishing glasses containing cocktails or pints of beers like wheat beers or citrusy beers with the wedges and wheels. Toss some wheels or wedges right into pitchers of things like Margaritas or Sangria to decorate them and add some citrus flavor. [13] X Research source
- For example, if you make a pitcher of Screwdrivers with orange juice and vodka for brunch with your friends, you could throw some whole orange wheels directly into the pitcher. You can then use some slices to garnish individual glasses for serving.
- You can also double-up on oranges in pints of beer by putting a wheel in the beer itself and sticking a wedge on the rim of the pint glass.
- For a fun, tropical treat, try adding a slice of orange to a skewer along with other fruits like cherries and pineapples. [14]
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Expert Source
Stephen Denning
Community Expert Expert Interview. 30 July 2020.
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Cut the bottom off an orange and place it cut-side-down on a cutting board. Hold an orange sideways on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut off just the bottom end. Stand the orange upright on the cutting board with the end you just cut flat against the board. [15] X Research source
- This just helps stabilize the orange while you cut the peel off to make a twist. Once you get comfortable with slicing the peel, you may choose to skip this step.
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Use a paring knife to slice off a thin oval of the orange’s peel. Start at the top of the orange and just barely cut into the peel. Slice down and away from you until you cut off a thin, oval-shaped piece of the peel. [16] X Research source
- It’s OK if there is a bit of the pith, or the white rind, still attached to the peel, but it’s best not to have a big chunk of it. If there is, you can carefully slice the white pith away from the peel using your paring knife.
- It’s up to you exactly how big to make your orange twist. Feel free to experiment with different oval sizes until you decide what works best for you and the drinks you’re making.
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Twist the ends of the piece of peel in opposite directions using your fingertips. Pick up the oval-shaped piece of peel using 2-3 fingertips of both your hands. Twist your hands in opposite directions, so the oval curls up into a spiral shape. [17] X Research source
- This not only looks cool, but also releases the oils inside the peel to add aroma and flavor to your drink.
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Put the orange twist into a cocktail and serve the drink. Orange twists make nice garnishes for classic cocktails like Old Fashioneds or Orange Martinis. Simply drop the twist into the glass on top of the drink or lean it up against one side of the glass, so the rim supports it and it stands up. [18] X Research source
- Other cocktails you might want to garnish with an orange twist include the Tom Collins and the Sazerac.
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Expert Q&A
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QuestionHow can I be safe when I'm cutting an orange?Stephen Denning is a licensed bartender and a dedicated wikiHow community member and contributor who is passionate about creating various drink recipes. He has been contributing to articles on wikiHow since 2015.When you're cutting, make sure no one is within arm's reach of you. Keep your hands and fingers away from the blade, hold the orange firmly so it can't slip, and cut away from your body. Always use a clean, sharp knife, and store the knife away properly when you're not using it, even if you're just setting it down. If you have one, you can even wear a Kevlar glove on your non-cutting hand to help prevent accidents.
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Tips
- Try combining oranges with other citrus fruits like lemons and limes in pitchers of Sangria or Margaritas. Or, you can add slices of other edible fruits like apples, peaches, and strawberries.Thanks
- If you have one, wear a cut-resistant glove on the hand you're using to hold the orange. That way, if the knife slips, you won't cut yourself.Thanks
- Feel free to experiment with different wedge, wheel, and slice sizes. There really isn’t a right or wrong way to cut an orange for drinks!Thanks
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Warnings
- Be careful when you’re using a sharp knife to cut oranges for drinks. Keep your fingers and hands out of the way of the blade and always cut on a cutting board.Thanks
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Things You’ll Need
- Cutting board
- Sharp kitchen knife
- Orange
References
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBBnYCodQeM&feature=youtu.be&t=210
- ↑ Stephen Denning. Community Expert. Expert Interview. 30 July 2020.
- ↑ Stephen Denning. Community Expert. Expert Interview. 30 July 2020.
- ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/how-to-cut-an-orange-article
- ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/how-to-cut-an-orange-article
- ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-citrus-garnishes-5-74076
- ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-citrus-garnishes-5-74076
- ↑ Stephen Denning. Community Expert. Expert Interview. 30 July 2020.
- ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/how-to-cut-an-orange-article
- ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/how-to-cut-an-orange-article
- ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-citrus-garnishes-5-74076
- ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-citrus-garnishes-5-74076
- ↑ https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/233937/orange-crush-fresh-squeezed-orange-and-vodka-cocktail/
- ↑ Stephen Denning. Community Expert. Expert Interview. 30 July 2020.
- ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-citrus-garnishes-5-74076
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m75hIGfBOPU&feature=youtu.be&t=25
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m75hIGfBOPU&feature=youtu.be&t=35
- ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-citrus-garnishes-5-74076
About This Article
Article Summary
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To cut fancy orange twists for garnishing drinks, start by slicing the very bottom off of an orange and placing the orange cut-side down on a cutting board. Then, use a paring knife to slice a thin oval off of the orange's peel, starting at the top of the orange and working your way to the bottom. Twist the ends of the piece in opposite directions to give it a spiral shape, then drop it into your cocktail or lean it against the side of the glass. Enjoy! To learn how to cut orange wedges and wheels, read on!
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