Umbrella Appetizer Picks

Umbrella Appetizer Picks are small decorative picks topped with a miniature paper-style umbrella. They work as a cocktail garnish and as a skewer for finger food. This is bar and serving merchandise, so it has no flavor, strength or tasting profile. Its job is to hold a garnish and make a drink or a plate look finished. Items like this usually come in a multi-piece pack, but check the product listing for the exact count, length and material. On drinks, an umbrella pick suits tall, ice-filled glasses where it stands up out of the garnish. Highballs, Collins glasses, hurricane glasses and tiki mugs all have the height and the crushed or cubed ice to support it. Rum punches, piña coladas, mai tais, daiquiris and a rum and ginger beer are the usual homes for this kind of garnish. A wedge of pineapple or orange, or a cherry, can be speared on the pick and laid across the rim. In a stemmed coupe or a low rocks glass, a pick this size tends to look out of proportion, so skip it there. As an appetizer pick, it holds together cheese cubes, olives, cocktail sausages, shrimp, melon and caprese-style tomato and mozzarella bites. Cut the pieces so each bite comes off the pick cleanly. Keep the umbrella clear of hot food and wet sauces, because paper-type canopies can soften or wilt with heat and moisture. For a drinks table, set the picks in a small cup or jar beside the garnish tray so guests can build their own.