The glass rimmer is the tray with separate levels for rimming glasses properly: one level for the liquid that makes it stick, one for salt, one for sugar. An even, clean rim for margaritas, sours and any drink with a flavoured edge. Below, the guide to using it well.
The salt rim on a Margarita and the sugar rim on a Lemon Drop are not decoration: they are part of the flavour, the first contact between lips and drink. Done by hand, dipping the glass in a saucer, the rim almost always comes out uneven and some of it ends up in the drink. A glass rimmer rims evenly, quickly and hygienically, and turns a rough job into a service standard.
How it works: three trays, three steps
A professional rimmer has three stacked trays. The first holds the liquid, usually a sponge soaked in lime juice or syrup, which wets only the outer rim of the glass. The second holds salt, the third sugar. The movement is simple: set the glass upside down on the sponge to wet the rim, then place it on the salt or sugar and turn it slightly. The rim is done in a few seconds.
The key is to wet the outside only
The most common mistake is wetting the inside of the glass as well, so the salt or sugar slides in and changes the flavour of the drink. Rimming only the outer edge, with the glass tilted, keeps the rim where it belongs and the cocktail clean. It is the technical detail that separates a professional rim from an improvised one.
Hygiene and refills
Separate trays keep salt and sugar clean, dry and apart. Top them up and change them regularly, because contact with wet glasses makes the edges clump. A rimmer that is looked after gives a crisp rim, the one the guest tastes on the first sip.
The piece to put on show
The Glass Rimmer, 3 Trays puts the three steps in order: liquid, salt and sugar, for an even rim in a few seconds on every cocktail.
It rims a glass with salt or sugar evenly and hygienically. Its trays let you wet the rim with a liquid and then coat it with salt or sugar, giving the rim typical of cocktails such as the Margarita.
How do you use a three-tray glass rimmer?
Set the glass upside down on the soaked sponge in the first tray to wet only the outer rim, then place it on the salt or sugar in the other trays and turn it slightly. The rim is even and ready in a few seconds.
Which cocktails have a salt or sugar rim?
A salt rim is typical of the Margarita and the Bloody Mary; a sugar rim of the Lemon Drop and many sours and sweet drinks. The rim is part of the flavour of the cocktail as well as the look.
How do you stop the salt ending up in the drink?
Wet only the outside of the rim, with the glass tilted, and keep the inside dry. The salt or sugar then stays on the outer edge and does not slide into the cocktail.
