Cocktail umbrella

Purpose

The true purpose of the cocktail umbrella is unknown. Some bartenders say that the cocktail umbrella is only decorative. Other bartenders have argued that the umbrella provides shade that slows the melting of ice when the drink is served outdoors. However, the temperature outside matters more than direct sunlight when it comes to the melting of ice.

The shade from the cocktail umbrella would do nothing to slow this down. Another hypothesis about the cocktail umbrella’s purpose is that its absence can lead to faster evaporation of alcohol due to direct sunlight when the drink is served outdoors. Chemists reject this idea and explain that the presence of a cocktail umbrella has no effect on this.

In the past, cocktail umbrellas have served as a gimmick to draw women into bars that were mostly frequented by men. However, this purpose has faded in current times. Currently, the cocktail umbrella has become an important part of the drinks it is found on. It has become a garnish that is essential to the identities of these drinks.

Cocktail garnishes started being used in the 19th century, with non-edible garnishes being introduced after prohibition. Two examples of these non-edible garnishes are cocktail umbrellas and swizzle sticks. Since their introduction, cocktail umbrellas use as a garnish has become a large part of their purpose.

As a garnish, they complete the drink's presentation and identify it as tropical. However, cocktail umbrellas differ from other drink garnishes. Unlike foods commonly used as garnishes, such as cherries, olives, or citrus, cocktail umbrellas do not add to the flavor of the drink and have a purely aesthetic purpose.

Alternative uses for cocktail umbrellas also exist. They can be used as toothpicks and may have been used as hat decorations in the past. It is also possible to use them as hair decorations and place cards to tell people where to sit at a hosted event.