This utensil is made to stir the contents of a beverage prior to and as it is consumed in order to keep the ingredients well blended or to alter the taste. Swizzle Sticks may be used for stirring, flavoring, or as a cocktail pick to hold various fruits and vegetables that accompany the beverage when it is served. Flavored Swizzle Sticks are provided to enhance the flavor of the drink, such as sweetening various coffee beverages when a Sugar Swizzle Stick is used. Sugar Swizzle Sticks are coated with large crystals of sugar in an oblong form so the Stick can provide a large area or mass of sugar that can be stirred into the beverage. If the Swizzle Stick is served with fruit or vegetables attached, it is also another form of a flavored Swizzle Stick as well as a means to enhance the appearance and presentation of the beverage.
Swizzle Sticks are made in a variety of shapes, sizes and materials. They are produced with both creative designs and useful designs placed on the top of the stick, such as animal shapes, character faces, tropical images, whistles that work, colorful parasols that open, fruit icons, vegetable icons, or other similar molded forms. Materials that are often used for Swizzle Sticks include glass, plastic, stainless steel, and wood.