Glossary
Rimming
Coating the outer edge of a glass with salt, sugar or another dry garnish before pouring in the drink.
Rimming is the process of coating the outside rim of a glass with something like salt, sugar, or a spiced blend before the drink is poured in, so that every sip carries a bit of that flavor along with the liquid. A Margarita's salt rim and a dessert-style cocktail's sugar rim are the most familiar examples.
The usual method is running a citrus wedge around the rim to leave a thin layer of moisture, then rolling or dipping the glass in a shallow plate of the rimming ingredient, though some ingredients are sticky enough to hold on their own. Rimming only the outer half of the rim, rather than the whole edge, gives drinkers the option of sipping with or without it.
A dedicated rimmer with separate compartments for a wetting agent and dry ingredient keeps the process clean and consistent glass after glass. A common mistake is rimming the entire rim so heavily that every sip is overloaded with salt or sugar, or letting the citrus moisten too much of the inside of the glass, which drips down and ends up rimming the drink itself rather than just the edge.