Here's The Actual Right Way To Salt A Margarita Glass

"No matter the flavor, it all starts with the rim" — those are the wise words of the craft bartender, Kamaron Lockwood, spoken in a video posted to Chowhound's YouTube channel explaining all of the right and wrong ways to apply a flavored rim to a margarita glass. From a colorful sugar rim to a bit of spicy Tajín, and from a classic lime and salt to a bit of the Japanese spice blend, shichimi togarashi, a flavored rim is the perfect way to level up the margaritas you make at home. And, just like Lockwood said, it's always the first step, which only makes it even more important to get right. Keep reading so you can stop getting it all wrong, as Julia Mullaney's Chowhound article proclaims. 

These days, salt is hardly just salt. From Himalayan black salt to fleur de sel, and red Hawaiian salt to shio salt, there are more than 16 different types of salt you could choose to rim your margarita with — but Kamaron Lockwood recommends sticking with something more grainy than granulated. "When choosing your salt, keep it simple. I'll just be a classic kosher salt guy, something that's a little bit coarse," he told viewers. "My one thing that I personally like to stay away from is just using regular iodized table salt. I just feel like it doesn't really have the same mouthfeel."

Prior to salting, spicing, or sugaring your rim, you're going to have to dip your glass into something sticky — but not too sticky. Kamaron Lockwood vows against using anything like simple syrup, or any other type of sugar, because he says that it makes the glasses difficult to clean. "Nobody wants to have extra work at the end of enjoying what is supposed to be a relaxing drink," he said. Instead, his recommendation is to stick with dipping your glass into lime juice prior to the salt. Not only will it stick, but it won't cause you any unnecessary fuss.

How heavily or lightly you rim your glass comes down to how you dip it. "How much salt you actually want on the rim depends on how much you dip it into the glass," explained Kamaron Lockwood. "You can go a little bit lighter, a little bit heavier — feel free to get carried away." That being said, Lockwood also says not to make it too thick. "Try to keep it a nice even layer ... not even more than maybe a 16th of an inch down the glass. It's a sugar rim, not a sugar glass," he said. Then, when it comes time to pour your margarita, be sure to do so into the middle of the glass and not near the sides. It might sound obvious, but any veers to the left or right will only wash away the unique cocktail rim you just created. 

When going the spicy rim route, Kamaron Lockwood recommends opting for a smokier liquor base than conventional tequila — something like mezcal. The flavors pair naturally with Tajín, the sweet, spicy, and smoky Mexican spice blend that's usually used as a rim on spicy margaritas. Obviously, you can stick with regular tequila in your spicy margaritas if you prefer it, but Lockwood says it's a good way to introduce the bold spirit to those who might be new to it. "It's going to be nice and complementary to getting somebody more approachable to mezcal if they've never had it before," said Lockwood. "It's a really nice way to make a spicier version of this drink."

Instead of just dipping your glass straight into lime juice, you can use a lime wedge to create half rims. "It's another way to give someone that experience but they also don't have to have that saltiness, that spiciness, that sweetness in every single sip," said Kamaron Lockwood. After cutting a slit in the center of the lime wedge, simply squeeze it as you drag it around one side of the glass' rim, and roll that same side into the Tajín, salt, or sugar. That way, whoever is drinking it can enjoy the option of getting the added flavor and mouthful of the rim – whether it be something savory, or a fall-inspired cinnamon-sugar twist. "It's going to really enhance the experience," said Lockwood.

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