How Cocktail Garnish Symbols Are Used in Online Slots?

While sitting down to relax and appreciate some of the finer things in life, like a wonderfully blended cocktail, small details can often enhance the experience. The garnishes that accompany cocktails, for example, go beyond just being an extra bit of decoration, as they are there to enhance the aroma as well as the aesthetic. Aromas in cocktails are something that’s overlooked, but vital because we tend to perceive smells as flavour.

That’s why fresh fruits are so commonly used to finish off drinks, as they raise the bar and look so vivid and enticing. It’s partly because of this reason that fruit is so prevalent on slot machines. They are visually striking and immediately recognisable by players, and just as they are a decorative flourish on a drink, they appeal to players looking to spin some reels in search of a potential win.

The Cherry on Top

Some fruits are naturally prevalent in both cocktails and on fruit machines. The humble cherry is one such fruit, as it is one of the quintessential garnishes for drinks. Order a Manhattan or a Shirley Temple, and you’ll get that splash of sweet red along for the ride.

The cherry is also one of the most iconic slot machine symbols, even though it is a low-paying symbol. It has been in use pretty much since the early versions of slot machines, and can still to this day be found on classic style slots like Sizzling Hot Deluxe from Novomatic and Sevens & Fruits from Playson, to more modern styled ones like NetEnt’s Fruit Shop.

Oranges and Lemons

When oranges and lemons are used as game symbols, it can be as a whole plump fruit, like Pragmatic Play’s Fruit Party, or a mouthwatering slice, like on the same operator’s Juicy Fruits game. They also appear in classics such as Microgaming’s Oranges and Lemons, Mancala Gaming’s Fruit Factory, Play’n GO’s MultiFruit 81, as well as the ever-popular Sizzling Hot Deluxe by Novomatic and Shining Crown by Amusnet. These classic fruit slots are often found on platforms with a matched deposit bonus like those listed at https://legalcasino.uk/bonuses/100-deposit/. It allows players to double their initial deposit and explore these games with an extended balance.

Again, oranges and lemons are classic fruit symbols on slots, as they stand out for their bright colours and are just something that everyone will recognise. The lemon in particular is also one of the most commonly used drink garnishes, from a Gin and Tonic to a Long Island Iced Tea and any highball.

Oranges are equally versatile, often used to garnish cocktails like the Screwdriver, Tequila Sunrise, or even an Old Fashioned.

Melons, Grapes and Plums

These are another popular range of fruits that are found in slot machines, but arguably not as visually striking as cherries, lemons and oranges. They pop up on titles like Fruit Wrap Slot by Thunderkick and Fruit Party by Pragmatic Play to accompany the more popular fruits and are also only low-paying symbols on a paytable.

Strangely, this also runs in conjunction with cocktails because it’s not often that you’ll see a plum used as a cocktail garnish. There are some drinks around, like a Plum Daiquiri and melon liqueur, which will go into a Melon Ball and a Green-Eyed Lady, while wine connoisseurs are very familiar with their grapes. But while things like plums and melons are used in both drinks and slots, they aren’t quite as common.

History and Values

Fruit has been used as a symbol on slot machines since the early 1900s, long before the arrival of the digital age. At that time, early machines did not pay out in coins but instead rewarded players with sweets and chewing gum in fruit flavours. A spin revealing cherries or lemons would correspond with the flavour of the prize, creating a direct and playful link between the imagery on the reels and the treat dispensed. This simple mechanism not only added charm but also cemented the bond between fruit and slot machines in popular culture.

Fruit is used as a filler on slot machines, much like they are on cocktails. They aren’t the main star of the show; they are there to add some extra flavour, and that’s why they are often only low-paying symbols. As slot game designs evolved, themed symbols like pots of gold became bigger-paying bonus symbols.