Rim

Technique

A rim is a crust of salt or sugar pressed onto the outside edge of a glass, usually half of it, before the drink goes in.

Also called: rimmed glass · salt rim · sugar rim · rimming a glass

Coverage: half the outside rim
Salt on the plate: 1/8 to 1/4 inch (3 to 6 mm) deep
Glue for the rim: a citrus wedge or a saucer of plain water
Sugar for a sugar rim: plain white sugar, or caster (superfine) sugar

What rim means

You will see a salt rim on a margarita glass, and a sugar rim on sweeter drinks. The rim is the first thing that touches your lips, so it shapes how the drink starts. A neat, even rim keeps the salt only where you want it.

You may have heard that you dip the whole glass rim straight into juice and then into the salt. Only the outside edge needs to be wet. That keeps the salt out of the drink, so the first sip stays clean.

Celery salt is a savory option for a rim, and like plain salt it sits on the outside of the glass. The recipe itself stays the same, so the rim is a choice you make for each drink. A sugar rim takes plain white sugar, and Difford's frosts a Crusta rim with caster (superfine) sugar. Lime is not the only glue, since America's Test Kitchen also wets the rim with plain water.

How to rim a glass

You need a cut lime and a plate of coarse salt or sugar, and only the outside edge gets wet.

1.Spread coarse salt, such as kosher salt or coarse sea salt, on a small plate about 1/8 to 1/4 inch (3 to 6 mm) deep.
2.Hold the glass upside down while you wet it, so the juice does not run down the side.
3.Run a cut lime around half of the outside rim, then press, not dip, that edge into the salt.
4.Shake off the excess before you pour the drink, and rim only half the glass so each sip can be with or without salt.

Rim compared

Salt rim vs sugar rimSalt suits sour, tart drinks such as the Margarita. Sugar suits sweeter, citrus drinks such as the Lemon Drop and the Sidecar.
GarnishA rim sits on the glass edge. Most other garnishes sit in or on the drink.

Related terms

Ingredients

Put it to use in your next drink

Garçon explains every step as you make the drink.