Garnish Tongs 30cm, Lumian, 18/10 Stainless Steel

For bartenders who garnish with their fingers and should not. A twist picked up by hand takes on the heat and sweat of the hand, a mint leaf bruises where it is pinched, and a guest sitting at the bar sees all of it. Three separate reasons, and at a bar where service happens in full view the third is enough on its own.

Because the tip has to reach where the garnish goes without your hand entering the glass. On a tall collins, a mug or a glass packed with crushed ice, short tongs force your fingers right into the drink: 30cm covers any bar glassware and stays comfortable to hold. The trade-off is that you lose some feel at a distance, which is why many bartenders keep a shorter curved model alongside for close work.

• Material: 18/10 stainless steel
• Length: 30cm
• Tips: flat, for garnishes
• Finish: black, silver, gold, copper, bronze
• Weight: 0.1kg
• Dishwasher safe: no, hand wash only
• Brand: Lumian

Flat tips, and why they are not ice tips

Ice tongs have clawed, toothed tips, because they have to hold a wet cube that slips. On a twist those same claws leave marks, and on a leaf they tear it. Garnish tongs do the opposite: they grip over a wider surface, spread the pressure and set the piece down where it belongs. Two tools with the same name and two different jobs, and using one for both shows in the glass.

The five finishes, and how to choose

Silver is the steel on show, the most discreet and the one that ages best. Black, gold, copper and bronze are plated, a layer over the metal: they change the tone of the bar and match the rest of the kit, but they need more care. A station in full view usually picks the finish to suit the dominant colour of the room and keeps a bare steel pair in the drawer for heavy work.

What you pick up, and how

Take a twist by the edge, never the middle, because in the middle it folds and loses the curve it was given. Take a mint leaf by the stem and lay it down; do not push it in. Take dried fruit flat, because on its edge it crumbles at the first squeeze. And take edible flowers at the base, where the stem holds. Four different moves with one tool, and the tongs make all of them possible because the pressure is controlled with two fingers rather than the palm.

Care

Always wash by hand, bare steel included: on the plated finishes the hot dishwasher cycle wears the plating and dulls it, and on a tool held in front of the guest that shows at once. Lukewarm water, mild detergent, and dry straight away to keep limescale marks off the tips. If the tips open badly, check the return spring before forcing them.

FAQ

How long are the garnish tongs? 30cm, long enough to reach the bottom of a tall glass without putting your hand in.

What steel are they made of? 18/10 stainless, which stands up well to citrus acid.

Can I use them for ice? Better not: flat tips do not hold a wet cube, and the ice picks up the smell of the garnishes.

Are they dishwasher safe? No, especially in the plated finishes: the plating wears off.

Which colours are there? Five: black, silver, gold, copper and bronze.

The more you buy, the less you pay: 4 pieces -5%, 6 -7%, 8 -10%, on the same item.

Dispatched from Rome, Italy. 15-day returns, free of charge. Questions before you order? Message us on WhatsApp on +39 351 929 6937.

The other bar tongs are compared in the tongs category.