If you’re tired of using the same old trick of using a twist to enhance the flavor of a drink, we have an interesting substitute for that. Rimming the glass of your cocktail can totally elevate your drinking experience. This impressive mixology skill is super easy to learn and can add more fun to your drinks. Here’s everything you need to know about how to rim a glass.
Things You Need To Rim A Glass
- Glass
- Dry Rimming Ingredient
- Liquid
- Rimming Dish Or Saucer
Also Read: Types Of Beer Glasses: A Guide To Finding The Right Glass
1. Glass
Depending on what type of cocktail you’re making, you can choose the appropriate glassware for your drink. Choosing the right glass for your cocktail can enhance its aromas and flavors. If you take a Martini or a Margarita glass, you’ll notice that these glasses have a wider bowl. So, to make the most of these cocktails, you can have a thick rim that covers the outside of the glass. That way, you’ll not only be able to savor the drink but also enjoy the flavors of the coated ingredient. For example, if you’re making classic cocktails like Boulevardier, Manhattan, Daiquiri, etc, coupe glasses can be a great choice.
2. Dry Rimming Ingredient
Two of the most commonly used dry ingredients to rim a glass are salt and sugar. If you want to use salt as the dry ingredient, it’s good to use kosher salt or coarse sea salt. Most bartenders use kosher salt to rim cocktail glasses as it has a good texture and doesn’t dissolve as easily as table salt.
Sugar is also a great ingredient to rim your cocktail glasses. The most commonly used sugar to rim glasses is granulated sugar. It’s a great choice for rimming cocktail glasses in which you’re going to serve drinks that have a sweet and tart flavor or those with high acidity. Otherwise, you can use coarse sugar which has a light color with large crystals. Rimming a glass with coarse sugar will make it look like there are little golden crystals bordering the rim of the glass.
Here’s a list of dry ingredients that you can use to rim a glass:
Herbs
You must’ve used herbs like basil, rosemary, lavender, etc to garnish your cocktails. These herbs can add to the flavors and complexity of cocktails. But herbs can also be used to rim glasses. Some of the commonly used herbs to rim a glass are cilantro, thyme, mint, chives, etc. Keep in mind that you’ll have to dry the herbs you’re using and grind them to make a fine powder.
Spices
There are numerous ways to use spices in your drinks. If you want to rim your glass with something other than sugar or salt, go ahead and use any of your favorite spices. You can level up your cocktail game by using spices like cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, lemongrass, etc to rim a glass.
Candies
Rimming the glass with any ingredient can be done either to complement or contrast the flavor of your cocktail. If you want to add more fun to your cocktail, you can use crushed candies to coat the rim of your glass. Take peppermint candies or candy canes and add them into a zip bag. Then, using a mallet you need to pound the zip bag until the candies are crushed. The candy powder can then be used to rim a glass.
Also Read: Beginner’s Guide To Different Types Of Wine Glasses
3. Liquid
In order to rim a glass, you’ll need a liquid ingredient along with the dry ingredient you’ve chosen. All you have to do is wet the lip of the glass with a liquid ingredient so that your dry ingredient like salt or sugar sticks to the glass. When applying the liquid to your glass, see to it that you don’t go too far below the glass, we recommend a length of ¼” below the rim.
Here’s a list of our favorite liquid ingredients for rimming a glass:
Juices
To moisten the rim of a glass, you can use citrus juices like lime, lemon, and orange. When choosing a juice, make sure that you choose one that’ll complement the inherent flavors in your cocktail recipe. Fruit juices like apple cider, pear cider, pineapple, and mango juices can be used to rim a glass.
Wine
For all those wanting to use alcohol as the liquid ingredient, wine is a good option. To make cocktails like Sangria, White Wine Spritzer, or a Red Wine spritzer, wine can be used to coat the rim of a glass.
Beer
So, you’re making some delicious beer cocktails at home. How about taking your beer-based drinks a step further by rimming the cocktail glass? For cocktails like Beer Mojito, Michelada, Classic Shandy, etc, you can use beer-and-salt-rim to make the cocktails taste better.
Also Read: What Are Cocktail Bitters
4. Rimming Dish Or Saucer
You’ll need a dish that can hold your dry and liquid ingredients. There are several glass rimmers for rimming that you’ll find online on platforms like IndiaMART or Amazon. If you don’t have a rimming dish, you can use any flat plate or a saucer at home. For the liquid, you’ll need another dish or a saucer that’s larger than your glass.
Steps On How To Rim A Glass
Step 1: Set Your Dry And Liquid Ingredients
The first step to rim a glass is setting your ingredients right. Pour the dry ingredient in one rimming dish or saucer and the liquid ingredient onto another dish or saucer. As mentioned earlier, you can use any ingredients of your choice that will accentuate the taste of your drink. Another thing to keep in mind is to make sure that the content of your dry and liquid ingredients on the dish is higher and wider than the rim of your glass.
Also Read: 8 Best Champagne Cocktails For A Cocktail Party
Step 2: Apply The Liquid To The Rim Of The Glass
Whichever liquid you’re using, be it simple syrup or a fruit juice, keep it in a dish or a saucer. Next, tilt your glass at a 45° angle by holding its stem and dip its rim into the dish containing the liquid. In order to coat the entire lip, you’ll have to rotate it into the dry ingredient mixture. Make sure that only a quarter-inch of the border of the glass is moistened. In case you’re using a lemon or a citrus wedge to coat the glass, you’ll have to cut a quarter-inch of the wedge and then cut a slit into the fruit. After that you can rub the wedge around the rim of the glass you’re using. Don’t forget to get rid of any pulp or seeds that stick to the rim.
Step 3: Apply The Dry Ingredient To The Rim Of The Glass
Take your dish with the dry ingredient and place your glass upside down in it. You’ll have to twist the glass around the dish so that the entire rim is coated. This will ensure that only the outer edge of the glass gets coated properly.
Step 4: Pour The Cocktail Into The Glass
After you’ve coated the glass with the dry ingredient, you can tap the body of the glass slightly to shake off its loose bits. Also, make sure that the dry ingredient you’ve used has not fallen inside the glass. It can change the taste of your drink. If you find any particles that have fallen inside the glass, use a damp napkin to wipe them off. Lastly, pour your cocktail at the center of the glass. While doing so, avoid spilling it over the rim of the glass. And there you have it, your cocktail is ready to be served!
Also Read: 8 Best Daiquiri Cocktail Recipes
Summing Up
Rimming the glass is a simple bartending technique that you can master and try out when you host drinking parties at home. Even if you’re making a simple cocktail, this mixology trick will make it look fancy and impressive. There are endless possibilities to learn this skill and get creative. Right from chili powder, dried fresh herbs to cocoa powder, you can use different ingredients to coat the rim. So, regardless of what drink you’re making, if you rim the glass, it’ll make any drink an experience in itself!
FAQs
What Can I Use To Rim A Glass?
You can use ingredients like sugar, salt, cinnamon-sugar, coconut flakes, crushed candies, etc to rim a glass.
How Do You Rim A Glass With Simple Syrup?
Here’s how you can rim a glass with simple syrup:
- Add sugar and simple syrup into two separate rimming dishes.
- Take a glass and dip it into the syrup and then release it.
- Finally, press the mug gently in the sugar so that its rim is coated with it.
- You can let the sugar sit on the rim for a few minutes before pouring the cocktail into the glass.
Can You Use Sanding Sugar To Rim A Glass?
Sanding sugar is a coarse sugar that has large crystals compared to basic sugar. It comes in different colors and is used to decorate desserts. You can also use it to rim a glass and make it look impressive.
Why Do You Rim A Glass With Salt?
Salted rim glasses are used for bitter cocktails like the Margarita. The bitter taste of such cocktails is dampened by the sodium ion which is present in the salt molecule. That’s the reason why most bartenders rim a glass with salt.
What Kind Of Sugar Do You Rim A Glass With?
The rim of a glass can be coated with plain white sugar, brown sugar, coarse sugar, colored sugar, etc.
How Do You Make Red Sugar For Glass Rims?
To make red sugar, you can add granulated sugar in your food processor along with a few drops of red food coloring. After you’ve got the desired color, you can place the sugar in a rimming dish. Apply some liquid to the rim of your glass and then dip the rim into the red sugar.
How Do You Get Lime Pulp On A Rim Of A Glass?
First, you need to cut the lime in half and then cut small slits inside the lime in order to loosen the pulp. After that, give the lime a squeeze and turn it around the rim of your glass so that the rim is coated with pulp.
How Do You Rim A Glass With Honey?
This is how you can rim a glass with honey:
- Take a medium-sized rimming dish and pour some honey syrup into it.
- Flip your cocktail glass upside down and dip the rim into the honey syrup.
- Take a different dish with your preferred dry ingredient like candied sugar, cocoa powder, or salt.
- Dip the honey-coated rim into the dry ingredient garnish.
