Garnish Tools

Cocktail Picks

Cocktail picks are short skewers, about 10 to 12cm in the ones we use (Urban Bar’s own steel picks are four inches, about 10cm), in metal or bamboo, that hold a garnish so it can be lifted out and eaten. They carry olives and onions in a Martini or Gibson, and cherries and fruit on sours and long drinks. A pick also keeps a garnish from soaking in the drink until it is wanted.

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Four stainless steel cocktail picks lying side by side, each with a small ring at the top and a sharp point.

The tool

About the Cocktail Picks

A Pick Keeps the Garnish Out of the Drink

A pick does two jobs. It lets the drinker lift a garnish out whole, without fingers. And it stops the garnish soaking in the drink, so a cherry rested across a stirred drink adds nothing until it is eaten.

That is why the Gibson carries its onions on a pick, and why a cherry and a pineapple wedge sit on one across the rim of the Reggae Rum Punch.

Match the Length to the Glass

A pick should be a few centimetres longer than the glass is wide, so it rests across the rim. In a coupe or Martini glass that means 10 to 12cm; in a collins or hurricane glass, 15cm or more.

Too short and it slides into the drink. Too long and it tips the glass or catches on a sleeve.

Metal, bamboo and plastic picks compared

Stainless steel

Usual length: 10-12cm
Reuse: Washed and reused for years
Suits: Martinis, Gibsons, stemmed glasses

Bamboo or wood

Usual length: 9-15cm
Reuse: Single use
Suits: Parties and tall tropical drinks

Plastic

Usual length: 8-12cm
Reuse: Usually thrown away
Suits: Novelty serves

Toothpick

Usual length: About 6cm
Reuse: Single use
Suits: A single olive in a small glass

Pick	Usual length	Reuse	Suits
Stainless steel	10-12cm	Washed and reused for years	Martinis, Gibsons, stemmed glasses
Bamboo or wood	9-15cm	Single use	Parties and tall tropical drinks
Plastic	8-12cm	Usually thrown away	Novelty serves
Toothpick	About 6cm	Single use	A single olive in a small glass

Odd Numbers Are a Habit, Not a Rule

Bars often put one or three olives on a pick, an old convention that favours odd numbers. It is a matter of taste; our Gibson takes two cocktail onions.

In a short drink, keep the count low. Each olive or onion displaces some of the drink, and more than a few start to crowd the glass.

Sharp Points Need Care

Treat picks like any small skewer. Never leave them loose in washing-up water, where a hand cannot see them, and count metal ones back after a party.

Wash metal picks in a cutlery basket, since they slip through dishwasher racks, and rinse off brine promptly. Throw bamboo and wooden picks away after one use.

Using it

Using the Cocktail Picks

Usage

Olives on a Martini, onions on a Gibson, and cherries or fruit on the Amaretto Sour or the Reggae Rum Punch. Rested across the rim, a pick keeps the garnish out of the drink until the drinker wants it.

Pro Tip

Spear the garnish before you mix. With the pick ready on the board, the drink goes from glass to guest without waiting on fiddly work.

Professional Tips

Rest the pick across the rim so the garnish sits clear of the drink.
Match the length to the glass; a short pick sinks in a tall one.
Spear olives and onions through the middle so they stay put.
Count metal picks back after a party.

Alternatives

Budget Alternative

Bamboo or wooden picks cost little and suit parties and tall tropical drinks. Use each one once.

Premium Option

Heavier stainless picks with a shaped top. In our experience they last for years and look tidier on a stemmed glass; the garnish is the same.

Specifications

Material
Stainless steel, bamboo or wood
Capacity
Not applicable
Details
About 10 to 12cm for stemmed glasses and 15cm or more for tall glasses, our guidance; Urban Bar’s own steel picks are four inches (about 10cm); a ring, ball or knot at the top stops it sliding in

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

Why use cocktail picks?

So the garnish can be lifted out whole and eaten, and so it stays out of the drink until then. A cherry sitting in a stirred drink slowly sweetens it; on a pick across the rim it waits. A pick also saves fishing for an olive with your fingers.

How many olives go on a pick?

Usually one or three, an old bar convention that favours odd numbers. It is a matter of taste rather than a rule, and our Gibson takes two onions. Keep the count small in a short drink, since every olive displaces some of the liquid.

Metal or bamboo picks?

Metal for a home bar: stainless steel picks are washed and reused for years, and they suit stemmed glasses. Bamboo for parties and tropical drinks, where picks go missing and are thrown away. Do not reuse bamboo; it soaks up liquid and cannot be cleaned properly.

What length pick do I need?

For a Martini or coupe glass, 10 to 12cm, so the pick rests across the rim with a little spare. For a collins or hurricane glass, 15cm or more, or it sinks. Measure the widest glass you use and buy picks a few centimetres longer.

Can I use a toothpick instead?

For a single olive in a small glass, yes, but a toothpick is short and slides into most glasses. Choose a pick long enough to rest across the rim. Wooden toothpicks are single-use, like bamboo picks.

Are cocktail picks safe?

They have sharp points, so treat them like any small skewer. Keep loose picks out of washing-up water, where they cannot be seen, point them away from your hand when spearing a garnish, and count metal ones back after a party.

What garnishes go on a pick?

Olives and pickled onions for a Martini or Gibson, cherries for sours, and fruit such as a pineapple wedge with a cherry on long tropical drinks. Citrus twists and wheels usually sit on the rim or in the drink instead.

Sources.

Correct as of 18 October 2026.

Urban Bar, “Copper Cocktail Pick Set of 10” (4 inch length; ball head).

Master the Technique

What goes on a cocktail pick

Make something

Made with the Cocktail Picks

Used In These Cocktails

Gibson Amaretto Sour Vodka Martini Reggae Rum Punch Martini

Related Equipment

Updated 18 October 2026

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