A cocktail onion is usually a
pearl onion pickled in a
brine with small amounts of
turmeric
Turmeric (), or ''Curcuma longa'' (), is a flowering plant in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. It is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that requires temperatures between and high ...
and
paprika
Paprika is a spice made from dried and ground red peppers, traditionally ''capsicum annuum''. It can have varying levels of Pungency, heat, but the peppers used for hot paprika tend to be milder and have thinner flesh than those used to produce ...
.
Pearl onions are usually chosen for their natural sweetness, but other sweet onions such as the crystal wax, also known as the white Bermuda, are also sometimes used. In many cases, white varieties of these sweet onions are used, since many consumers expect cocktail onions to be white. However, yellow or red sweet onions may be used as well. In northern
California cuisine some
haute bars may use sliced
red onion pickled in
vinegar
Vinegar () is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting ...
. Some recipes also call for the onions to be packed in white
vermouth
Vermouth (, ) is an Italian aromatized wine, aromatized, fortified wine, flavored with various Botany, botanicals (roots, Bark (botany), barks, flowers, seeds, Herb, herbs, and Spice, spices) and sometimes Food coloring, colored. The modern ve ...
instead.
Generally, the onion retains a slightly crunchy texture through the brining process, which can add a different mouthfeel to the drinking experience. Since the cocktail onion is made from a sweet onion, it is unlikely to upset the digestion with a sulfurous or eye-watering taste, although some cultures use more pungent onions as cocktail garnishes.
Use as a garnish
While not as widely used as more common garnishes such as
olives or lemon twists, the cocktail onion is the signature garnish of the
Gibson, which consists of a standard
Martini garnished with a cocktail onion instead of the standard olive.
See also
*
List of onion dishes
*
*
References
Onion-based foods
Cocktail garnishes
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