How to Rim a Glass with Sugar

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Learn how to rim a glass with sugar, and start planning a home bar for friends and family members. It's a fun and useful skill for parties and holiday gatherings that can be used on any glass you can think of.

You won't find a classic margarita without a salt or sugar rim. The sugar rim gives the drink a cool, sparkling appearance, adds to the visuals of the drink and enhances the flavor. It can balance out the flavors of a drink, especially in cocktails that have tart or sour elements (like a margarita or lemon drop).

However, sugar rims don't just accompany margaritas--they're also great for sweet or bitter cocktails, fruity drinks, smoothies and even coffee and hot chocolate. You can try out your new skills on this fog cutter tiki drink, fresh homemade lemonade or hibiscus tea cocktail.

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Ingredients and Tools
How to Rim a Coffee Mug
How to Sugar Rim a Margarita Glass
How to Rim Other Cocktail Glasses
Ready to Serve
Pro Tips
FAQs for How to Rim a Glass With Sugar
Related Drinks to Consider
📋Recipe

Ingredients and Tools

Small flat plates - To spread the sugar and syrup onto.
Cocktail glass of choice - Or even a glass coffee mug.
sugar rim of your choice - Or plain white or brown sugar. I have 3 flavors of homemade sugar rim for you to try! You can also use candy sprinkles if desired, depending on the occasion.
Something to wet the rim - Such as lime or lemon wedges/juice, maple syrup, simple syrup etc.

How to Rim a Coffee Mug

Adding a sugar rim to a coffee mug might sound unconventional, but it adds a lot of flavor and charm to your holiday drinks. A touch of maple syrup and sugar--especially flavored sugar--adds extra flavor to your coffee and hot chocolate.

Cinnamon sugar rim on a small glass plate.

Step 1: Add Sugar to Plate. Add a good amount of sugar rim or plain sugar to a small plate evenly (I use a cinnamon-sugar rim because it goes well with coffee).

Prepped ingredients and tools for sugar rimming on black background.

Step 2: Add Syrup to Separate Plate. Pour about 2 tablespoons of maple syrup into a separate plate, or enough to coat the plate evenly (you could also use a flavored simple syrup or other types of syrups).

A clear glass coffee mug dipped into a plate of maple syrup.

Step 3: Dip Mug into Syrup. Dip the mug into the syrup and release.

A clear glass coffee mug dipped into a plate of cinnamon sugar.

Step 4: Press Mug into Sugar. Press the mug into the sugar mix to coat the rim.

Step 5: Set the Sugar. Let sit for a few minutes to harden before filling the glass.

How to Sugar Rim a Margarita Glass

While a margarita typically calls for a salt rim, it's perfectly okay to use a sweet rim instead and some people prefer this. When you're finished the rim, you can check out my tutorial for how to make a strawberry margarita and fill the glass with cold, strawberry deliciousness.

Step 1: Add Sugar to Plate. Add a good amount of sugar rim to a small plate evenly, making sure the plate is wider than the margarita glass (you can use plain white sugar or get fancy with a zesty sugar rim).

Step 2: Wet the Glass Rim. Cut a slit into the middle of a lime or lemon wedge (not too deep). Slide it onto the margarita glass and run it all around the edge to make it wet.

Chef's Note: Alternatively, you could add some lime or lemon juice to a separate plate and dip the glass in it.

Step 3: Press Glass into Sugar. Press the margarita glass into the sugar mix to coat the rim (or you can hold the glass at an angle and roll it in the sugar instead).

Step 4: Let the Sugar Set. Let sit a few minutes to set before filling the glass.

How to Rim Other Cocktail Glasses

This method can apply to any cocktail glass you plan on using. Just remember to make sure the plate of sugar is wider than the diameter of the glass.

Step 1: Add Sugar Rim to Plate. Add a good amount of sugar rim to a small plate evenly.

Step 2: Wet the Rim. Pour some simple syrup into a separate small, shallow dish (we used lemon-flavored simple syrup). Dip the glass into the syrup.

Alternatively: you could cut a slit into the middle of a lemon or lime wedge and rub it around the rim of the glass.

Chef's Note: I used pink lemonade sugar rim but you can use any choice of sugar. For example, if you're making a black fog Guinness cocktail, you could use black candy sprinkles, a darker sugar rim or keep it simple with white sugar. Try to match the rim to the drink.

Step 3: Press Cocktail Glass into Sugar. Press the glass into the sugar mix to coat the rim completely (or you can hold the glass at an angle and roll it in the sugar instead).

Step 4: Let Sit. Let the cocktail glass sit a few minutes to harden before filling the glass.

Ready to Serve

Sugar rim flavors in 3 jars with rimmed glasses in the background.

Proceed to filling the glass with your desired beverage and serve! And now you know how to rim a glass with sugar, adding an aesthetic touch to your bartender skills.

Pro Tips

Glass rimming might be easy enough, but you'll need to know a few techniques to preserve the flavor and aesthetic of the drink.

When you wet the rim with a syrup or citrus juice on a plate, dip the glass into the syrup evenly and release.
If using a lime or lemon wedge to wet the rim, do not cut too deeply into the middle of the slice or the sugar will stick too far down the glass. If you do, the sugar can come in direct content with the drink, potentially ruining the flavor. Remember that there's a difference between having sugar on the side and actively mixing it into the drink.
Some bartenders recommend twisting the glass in the sugar, but some don’t. Try both ways and see what works for you. Personally, I like to dip and release.
Be generous with the sugar on the plate to get enough coverage.
The diameter of the sugar on the plate should be wider than the glass.
You can use anything from fine sugar to coarse sugar, brown or white, or even candy sprinkles or crushed strawberry candy, depending on the look/taste you are going for.
To wet the rim, you can use citrus juice, citrus wedges, syrups, melted chocolate or even a liqueur that matches the drink.
You can buy tools to help you rim the glass, such as a 3 tier glass rimmer.
Not sure if your guests will like it? You can rim one side of the mug and leave the other side blank so your guests can choose whether they want the extra flavor or not.
While the sugar rim isn't the main event of your drink, your guests should be able to consume the rim without being overwhelmed with sugar. Don't assume that more sugar is always better. Instead, use a light touch to sweeten the rim without encrusting it in hard sugar flakes. This is especially important if you use an ingredient like cinnamon that has a little kick.

FAQs for How to Rim a Glass With Sugar

How do you get sugar to stick to glass rims?

You simply need something wet like citrus juice or simple syrup to wet the rim with before dipping into the sugar. Once you let the sugar sit on the rim for a few minutes it should harden onto the glass.

Can you put sugar on the rim of a margarita?

Sure you can! The salt is used to balance the sweetness of the drink but if you like the extra sweetness from a sugar rim, you can use that too.

Can you use lemon juice to rim a glass?

Yes, you can use any citrus juice to rim a glass. You can either squeeze the lemon juice onto a flat plate and dip the glass into it or cut a slit into a lemon wedge and run it along the rim.

Assortment of glasses that have been rimmed with sugar.

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