The Air Fryer Hack You Need To Upgrade Cocktail Hour

The air fryer is an excellent multi-purpose tool in the kitchen, to the point where there's a veritable ton of air fryer hacks to add to your arsenal. Besides its obvious conventional purpose of, you know, cooking food, your air fryer can also be a secret tool before (or after) your meal. If you're a fan of a sophisticated homemade cocktail, your air fryer can be used to supplement your mixology game — at least when it comes to the aesthetics of your drinks.

You already have the microwave hack for more juicy citrus, now get ready for its counterpart — using your air fryer as a means to dehydrate citrus. While it's entirely possible to dry citrus in the oven, using your air fryer takes much less time. Granted, you'll be limited by your air fryer's size, but you'll still yield a solid number of dehydrated garnishes per batch. Simply preheat your air fryer to 180 degrees Fahrenheit and toss your slices of citrus in there. Times will vary based on the fruit you're using, with smaller citruses like lemons and limes taking 45 minutes to an hour, while larger citrus such as oranges and grapefruits will need one to two hours. But after a relatively short time, you'll have a helping of bespoke citrus garnishes for your cocktails.

Your cocktail garnish is the final piece of your mixology puzzle, to the point that over time, we've developed ideas of which garnishes belong on which drinks. One such example is determining the "correct" way to garnish a classic whiskey sour. Even chef José Andrés has given his two cents on his idea of the best garnishes for a gin and tonic. But how do you determine which garnish to use for which drink, and where do dehydrated citrus wheels fit into the whole thing?

Cocktail garnishes are more than a simple cosmetic addition (although a nice-looking garnish definitely helps). But besides upping your cocktail's superficial appeal, different garnishes can bring a lot to the game when it comes to the nose of your drink. Dehydrated citrus has all of its aromatics packed tightly into its desiccated wheel. You see, dehydrating the fruit only takes away the water component — not all the flavorful compounds in the fruit itself. So if you're looking for an easy way to pack an olfactory punch when it comes to your cocktails, try out some super-easy dehydrated citrus. Your drinks (and your party guests) will thank you.