Dried Citrus Slices As Garnish (with an oven)
Recipe:
- your citrus fruits of choice
- one oven ;)
I've never liked and continue to dislike fresh citrus slices/fruits on/in my drinks, 1) always looks kind of cheap since you know that from 1980s & 1990s photos with margaritas and significantly worse drinks from bad resorts, 2) it gets sticky and annoying quickly and 3) dried citrus just smells even nicer.
ALWAYS use baking paper, just looked better that way for the photo....
Now many ambitious hobby bartenders get a dehydrator for the home at various prices, I simply lack the space for such an "accessory" for something so simple.
Therefore, here a few words about the oven method. Yes, of course it consumes some electricity for something that is not even consumed in the end. On the other hand, I see again critics before me, calculating how the production of just one dehydrator probably costs as much energy as 4290 times oven-drying, I keep myself out of that discussion and will explain only.
It is quite simple:
Cut desired citrus fruits (other fruits need in many cases significantly longer or other preparation, so I prefer to limit myself in this D.I.Y. on these to make it easier) into thin slices.
Lay out baking paper on the baking rack, important because otherwise the oils drip down onto the hot floor and even more annoying, after a certain time parts of the slices can burn on the hot rack and get black spots.
Spread the slices on the baking paper.
Set the oven at circulating air to about 160-180 degrees Fahrenheit and now the important thing: when closing, place a METAL object (I use, for example, always a parmesan grater with metal handle) between the door, so that a small gap remains open. This is important because otherwise the oils and moist air from evaporation would remain in the oven mostly and the fruit would take several hours longer.
The required time is impossible to determine in general, at the latest already after 1-1,5 hours I would check every 20-30 minutes, if I would stick to some stated times online, my slices would be burned 3 times over. Small and thin lime slices need of course a fraction of somewhat thicker cut, fleshy grapefruit slices, so different slices also need to be taken out at different times of course.
At 160-180 degrees it will not be burning hot anyway, but of course take the metal object with a glove/towel out of the door gap when opening the door again, it is of course hot.
BONUS RED/PURPLE COLORED SLICES:
As seen in the picture below, I like to dye a few slices red or purple from time to time, this I got from the classy Toddy Tapper Bar (Sri Lanka themed):
Give the citrus slices 30-40 minutes in a 80/20 mixture of red beet juice/water, e.g. in a preserving/jam jar, then just put them on the baking rack with the other slices
Of course, these take longer on average than slices that have not been moisturized even more, they look very fancy as a decoration and are still simple to make. Attention, they can give off a bit of taste somewhat quickly in liquid, therefore either 1) attach only with clip to the glass, 2) give on crushed ice or a large ice cube that protrudes from the drink, 3) plan with it, especially with e.g. tequila and mezcal drinks the earthy-berry tones of beet fit quite well, the effect of the red stripes when they move also looks exciting.
