Cocktail Onion
A cocktail onion is a small pearl onion pickled in vinegar and brine, traditionally speared and dropped into a Gibson in place of an olive. Its sharp, savory bite adds a distinct pickled edge to the first sip. It is one of the few garnishes that noticeably changes a drink's flavour rather than just its aroma.
Common uses
- garnish for the Gibson and other dry stirred cocktails
Buying & storage
A few days: Good for a few days refrigerated, then noticeably duller. Worth planning a second drink around rather than throwing away.
Storage: refrigerate in its brine once opened
Recipes
Cocktails containing this ingredient
No published recipe lists cocktail onion as an ingredient — but it may still appear below as a garnish or as a recommended substitute.
Garnish
Cocktails garnished with cocktail onion
These recipes don't mix it in — they finish with it, which is usually where its aroma does the most work.
Swap it
Possible substitutions
Explore