You Sexy Thing

How cocktails are heating up with Filthy's premium garnishes and mixers

- By Terry Zarikian

"We make products for the detail-obsessed and pleasure-committed, for people who jump and build their wings on the way down." So says Daniel Singer, founder and CEO of Filthy Food, a Miami-based producer of premium cocktail mixers and garnishes that counts top mixologists, drinking venues and spirits connoisseurs among its fans. "Life is not about dipping your toe in-it's about getting Filthy in everything you do, because that's where the joy is."

It all started with an astute observation: Singer could not believe how famous bars around the world were using supermarket salad olives and dessert cherries to garnish their drinks, and to make matters worse, they were bought in bulk. Frankly, awful garnishes do tarnish the enjoyment of a drink. I stopped having olives in my bone-dry gin martinis since they started to taste like garbage, instead opting for a lemon twist, whose deftly squeezed fragrant oils add that beautiful citrus note. But now, Singer has restored the pleasures of pure natural fruit garnishes, and since Covid struck, found the opportunity to grow and reengineer his business model and expand to a newfound audience.