Colorful Sugar Is The Unique Cocktail Rim You Need To Dress Up Your Drinks

Here at Tasting Table, we're all about making good, accessible food exciting. In the cocktail world, an underrated way to achieve that goal is with an elevated sugar rim. On its own, a regular granulated sugar rim is an aesthetically-pleasing, flavorful garnish. But, that sugar can become even more impressive with a little fresh citrus zest, some spicy cinnamon or cardamom, or even pulverized flower petals. Today, we're talking about another simple addition that'll take your sugar rim to the next echelon of cocktail stardom, and there's probably a good chance you already have it lying around your pantry. We're talking about food coloring. 

To create colored rimming sugar, pour about ¼ inch of granulated sugar into a small, shallow dish (a storage container lid works well here) and squeeze in a few drops of liquid food coloring. Then, using a fork, whisk the sugar and dye together until thoroughly coated and colorful. Use more food coloring for deeper, brighter tones, or less for pastel hues. From there, simply wet the glass rims with water or a citrus wedge and you're good to go. You can use your colored sugar to rim cocktail glasses as normal but with a vivid, creative facelift. We've rounded up a few ideas to help stoke the rainbow and get your brainstorm rolling.

All it takes is a rainbow palette to spruce up a rim at your next dinner party or cocktail hour. Let your favorite hue do all the work for you. Pink sugar would look great on a cheerful lemon drop martini, a luscious chocolate martini, or a magenta Cosmopolitan (Barbenheimer intensifies). A blue sugar rim would work with any drink containing blue Curaçao, like a Blue Hawaiian, or provide a pop against a pale yellow Tom Collins. Bonus points if you garnish with a tiny umbrella.

Take a cue from the complementary color wheel brought to you by your high school art teacher and top a vibrant yellow Piña Colada with a purple sugar rim. Purple sugar would also intensify the glamor of an already-glamorous violet-hued Aviation cocktail. How about a lime green sugar rim to add a little pizazz to your go-to Bloody Mary at brunch? Orange sugar would sparkle on any tiki drink. Or, use red sugar to emphasize the grenadine in a Tequila Sunrise or to add a standout hue against a green mojito. For an added splash of color, you could even twist the same glass in two different colors of sugar for a multi-hued rim.