How to make a Lemon Twist
Lemon Twists are a fun, easy cocktail garnish to elevate your mixed drinks at home. Learn how to make a lemon twist, as well as learn my tips and tricks!
Look, I’m just a mama who loves to host her friends for happy hour and super casual dinner parties.
While I’m no bartender and have no experience behind a bar professionally, I’ve found the little things make the drinks you make at home.
Little things include cocktail (or drink) garnishes, like these lemon twists. Not only do they add the wow factor, but you can use them in literally any drink that involves lemon (or the citrus twist into a lovely spiral curl.)
Why I love lemon twists:
These citrus cocktail garnishes look fancy, but they’re actually quite simple to make if you have the right tools.
If you’re looking to elevate your at-home cocktail game or want to impress guests in the near future with your bartending skills, you’ve got to add this to your repertoire.
These garnishes are perfect hanging on the rim of a glass!
You can use this same method to make an orange curl, a lime curl or a grapefruit twist, too. It should work with any type of citrus.
Drink recipes that you can add a twist cocktail garnish to: Spiked Blueberry Lemonade | Lemon Drop Martini | Pomegranate French 75 | Spiked Watermelon Limeade (but with a lime twist!) | Vodka Lemonade with Raspberry
What you need to make this cocktail garnish
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You need 1-2 lemons, depending on how many twists you are planning to make. Make sure they’re at room temperature because they’ll be easier to work with.
You do not want to use cut lemons because that will make it more complicated. Lemon wedges and lemon slices are also not what you want to use for this technique.
You’re also going to need some tools to do this. I’m listing all the tools you could purchase for this, though this tutorial is to make a twisted garnish with a knife because that’s the way I’ve always done it and I find it to be a relatively straightforward and easy method.
- Sharp knife, like a paring knife, and cutting board. I do not recommend using a larger knife, like a chef’s knife.
- A vegetable peeler — this will make for thicker, more rustic twists. You can use a knife to clean up the sides before twisting it together
- A channel knife — this will make for thinner lemon twists.
How to make a lemon twist
First and foremost, wash the lemon extremely well. You don’t want dirt (or wax) to end up on the rim of the glass of your drink.
Cut a round of lemon with sharp knife, and slice through one side of the peel.
Use your knife or your hands to gently pull the lemon flesh and pith away from the lemon rind. If necessary, trim any additional white pith from the peel.
DID YOU KNOW?
The pith actually what will give the lemon twist its shape… but too much of the pith left on the peel will make for a bitter drink.
Twist the peel onto itself, using a finger, a chopstick or a straw as a guide. It should hold its shape.
Serve on the edge of the glass of a favorite mixed drink!
Different ways to make a Lemon Twist Cocktail Garnish
If you don’t feel like going the knife route, you can make a lemon twist with the following tools:
- A vegetable peeler* (affiliate link) will make for thicker, more rustic twists. You can use a knife to straighten up the sides before twisting it.
- A channel knife* (affiliate link) will make for thinner lemon twists.
Honestly, this all just depends on the look you like and the tools you have on hand.
Personally, I like using my paring knife because I can determine the thickness of the twist easily that way.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s a cocktail garnish that is simply the peel of the lemon that’s twisted into a corkscrew shape. To get this to happen, you have to remove the fruit and the pith before shaping the peel.
It’s a garnish that adds some citrus to a drink, like a martini.
To store a lemon twist, simply place them in an airtight food storage container in the refrigerator. They’ll keep for 3-4 days.
Yes! Take the same idea here and use it on another type of citrus to get another garnish.
Quick tips and tricks to the best lemon twists
- Use room temperature citrus! The peel will be more malleable that way.
- The pith helps the peel keep its shape… but too much will add bitterness to your drink. If you’ve got a thick layer on the back of your peel, use a knife to cut it off.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days after making these lemon twists. So you can make ‘em ahead of time if you’re hosting friends and want to have several on hand.
How to use the rest of the lemon that you made the twist from:
Your best bet and best move is squeezing it to get all that delicious juice out. You can use it in various drinks, as well as store it in the fridge for a few days to use later.
Looking for a way to use these cocktail garnishes? Here are a few drinks to add them to…
- Meyer Lemon Shandies
- Limoncello Lemonade
- Strawberry French Monaco
- Meyer Lemon Rosemary Bees Knees Cocktail
- Princess Violette (Creme De Violette Cocktail)
Here’s how to make a lemon curl…
How to make a Lemon Twist
Ingredients
- 1 lemon at room temperature
Equipment
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Instructions
- Slice off the ends of the lemon—these won’t be possible to transform into lemon twists.
- Cut a round off a room temperature lemon with sharp knife. Slice through one side of the peel.
- Use your knife or your hands to gently pull the lemon flesh and pith away from the peel. If necessary, trim any additional white pith from the peel. (The pith will give the lemon twist its structure, so we want there to be a little, but too much will translate to bitterness being added to your drink.)
- Twist the peel onto itself, using a finger or a straw as a guide. It should hold its shape.
- Serve on your favorite mixed drink as a cocktail garnish!
Video
Notes
Quick tips and tricks to the best lemon twists
- Use room temperature citrus! The peel will be more malleable that way.
- The pith helps the peel keep its shape… but too much will add bitterness to your drink. If you’ve got a thick layer on the back of your peel, use a knife to cut it off.
- Store in an airtight food storage container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days after making these lemon twists. So you can make ‘em ahead of time if you’re hosting friends and want to have several on hand.
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
Love how simple and easy you made these to make!
Love all of your tips, hacks and comments, I feel confident now taking a stab at these twists for our cocktails tomorrow night!
Thanks, Kathleen! I hope these tips, hacks and comments helped you make twists for your cocktails!
We loved these little twists for a recent get-together we had. I only served iced tea but our guests thought it was gourmet because of these little twists.
I had no idea lemon twists were so easy to make! These are going to be on all of my cocktails from now on!
Never could get my twists right! Thanks for the great instructions!