The Classics

• A classic martini has its classic garnishes -- with the most widely recognized one being the olive. Olives go well with martinis because their saltiness pairs with both vodka and gin, the two most common martini types. Olives also provide the brine to make martinis dirty, which means adding a dash or two of olive brine or juice to the drink. Like olives, cocktail onions are quite common classic martini garnishes, but adding cocktail onions to a martini changes the name to a Gibson martini or just a Gibson.

How Sweet It Is

• Sweeter garnishes complement martinis with a little bit of fruit or sugar in them. One of the most common fruit garnishes is the maraschino cherry, sunk in the center of dessert martinis like the apple-tini. Other fruits that go well in martinis are red and white grapes with the seeds removed -- for an icy treat, freeze the grapes ahead of time. Other sweet fruit garnishes include different types of berries like blueberries and raspberries. Fruit-flavored candy like gummy bears and jellybeans will also add color and sweetness to your martinis.

On the Edge

• Many martinis require a garnish that's a little more on the edge -- edge of the glass that is. The most common precariously perched garnishes include citrus fruit slices like lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruit. Other sliced fruits that can complete a martini include strawberries, pineapple, mango and even starfruit. Rim garnishes are not always fruits; some vegetables like cucumbers and peppers, prepared spices like ginger slices and cinnamon sticks, and sprigs of herbs like basil and mint can also successfully garnish a martini.

Twisting the Night Away

• A martini with a twist is almost as common as a martini with olives. Twists are usually citrus fruit rinds prepared with a vegetable peeler that spiral from the edge of the glass into the drink. Rubbing the twist along the rim of the glass will also add extra flavor to the drink. In addition to the ubiquitous lemon and lime twists, other notable twists include orange, grapefruit, key lime and blood orange. More exotic twists include lemongrass, celery and ginger.