How to Make a Grass Skirt Tiki Garnish

The garnishes of tiki drinks are often just as important as the drinks themselves, so you’ll find that tiki bars work a lot harder on garnishes than most “regular” bars do. Tiki drinks are topped with pineapple spears, towers of fruit and fresh flowers – and, of course, the tiki mugs themselves are part of the overall presentation. One of our favorite garnishes is a grass skirt, made out of a lime. It’s fun, tropical and makes every drink you’re serving look a lot more tiki.

This garnish is easy to make. Start with half of a fresh lime.

Use a paring knife to cut off the top end of the lime, creating the top opening of the skirt.

Carve out the lime pulp, getting as close to the rind as possible. You can scrape out any bits of fruit with the back of your knife to clean it up.

Using a pair of kitchen shears, cut the strands of grass around the edge of the lime. We like to add little diagonal cuts to give the skirt a little flair. You can also do this with a knife, but scissors are much faster and easier.

Once your skirt is complete, you’re ready to garnish! It may take a few minutes to make your first one, but after that they will go very quickly. Save the lime pulp for juicing, and you can store the skirts in a plastic bag in the fridge to keep them fresh if you want to prep them early in the day and use them at night.