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13 Best Rimming Salts And Sugars Of 2023

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Adding rimming salt or sugar to a cocktail or drink can really spruce up the flavor and add some fun texture and dimension!

A popular drink with a salt or sugar rim is a margarita, and there are a number of other drinks that just wouldn’t be the same without a rim of some sweet or salty flavors.

You can use plain salt or plain sugar to rim a glass, but there are some that work better than others, and you can get flavored salt and sugar that you could use as well.

What are the best rimming salts and sugars? The best rimming salts and sugars are either plain Kosher salt that isn’t too coarse, granulated sugars, or flavored cocktail salts or sugars that are made specifically for rimming. You will also need to consider the flavor you want your cocktail to have before deciding which would be best.

Read on to find out which the best rimming salts and sugars are, and how you can go about choosing the best one for your drinks!

Buyer’s Guide

Below are all of the different factors you need to consider when deciding on which rimming salt or sugar to choose, and how to ensure that you pick out the right one for your drinks.

Salt Or Sugar?

First, you would need to decide whether you want to use salt or sugar for your cocktails and drinks. Do you prefer something salty, or something sweet? Does the cocktail or drink recipe call for salt or sugar on the rim?

Before deciding which to get, you would need to know whether to look for salt or sugar. Both can add a great flavor to any drink, but the flavor either adds is considerably different, so make sure you know which one you would prefer!

Flavored Or Plain?

You can either stick to classic plain salt or plain sugar, or you could opt for a flavored salt or sugar. There are special margarita salts, specialty salts, and cocktail sugars that you can choose from as well.

If you are not sure of the flavor you want, then it is best to choose a plan salt or plain sugar.

However, if there is a specific cocktail or drink that you are looking to make, a specialty salt or sugar would be better. Just remember that a flavored salt or sugar might limit you to one or two drinks.

Type Of Salt Or Sugar

There are a few different types of salt and sugar that are suitable for a rimming cocktails or drinks glasses, and some which work better than others. These are the different types that you could use:

Kitchen Salts

Kitchen salts can be used as a basic rimming option. Kosher salt is the best option, but make sure that it is not too coarse, as it will be too heavy to stick to the glass and won’t give good coverage.

Do not use iodized salt or sea salt either, as iodized salt can be too thin and add too much saltiness, and sea salt can have a bit of a briny taste that might not suit the cocktail or drink well.

Granulated Sugar

Granulated sugar is a great option to rim a cocktail glass. Most likely, you already have some in your cupboard! Granulated sugar is easy to come by and it is affordable, and it really does work great as a rimming sugar.

You can always crush the sugar down more in order to have a finer powder to rim a glass with, to ensure it sticks properly.

Specialty Salts

Specialty salts can also be used, but they need to be used for the right drinks. You can get specialty salts such as smoked salt, Himalayan salt, and gray salt, but you will have to taste match this to the drink you are making.

For example, Himalayan salt or smoked salt can go wonderfully with a well-made Bloody Mary. Pink salt can also add a great color pop to a cocktail, without having to choose a salt that has an added flavor.

Margarita Salt

Margarita salt is a popular option for cocktails, mostly margaritas as the name suggests. This salt is often a large-grain salt that is sold in a rimming tray, making it so easy to rim your cocktail glass.

Different types of margarita salts are sold, such as flavored salts and colored salts, so you can get quite creative with the salt that you use for the different cocktails that you want to make.

The tray that margarita salt is sold in also takes the stress out of rimming glasses, so you can prepare the glasses quickly to get to enjoy your drink!

Specialty Sugars

Just like there are some specialty salts, there are specialty sugars as well. There are lots of different flavored sugars you could choose from, and different types of sugars too, such as demerara, brown sugar, and powdered sugar.

Most sugars are fine to use to rim glasses, but once again you need to remember that specialty sugars will have specific flavors, and you need to make sure that the flavor will go with the cocktail or the drink you are making.

Make sure that the specialty sugar isn’t too coarse either, as it might not stick to the rim well. You could always crush the sugar down a bit if needed.

Cocktail Sugar

There are some cocktail sugars that have been made specifically for rimming drinks and cocktail glasses.

Cocktail sugars can have different colors or different flavors, or both.

There are some really fun colors and flavors to choose from that can really help to bring out different tastes in cocktails, or add a new dimension to your favorite drink.

These are also the right texture to stick to cocktail glasses best, and are not too coarse or too fine to be comfortable to drink as well, and which will not fall off.

Quantity

Think about how much rimming salt or sugar you will need. You shouldn’t buy a huge bag if you will only need for a few cocktails, but if you are planning on making rimmed cocktails often, then a bigger bag might be fine.

If you want to try out different flavors and textures, you can buy smaller bags of a few different types of salt or sugar, and get experimenting!

Added Trays

Some rimming salts and sugars which are made specifically for cocktails come with rimming trays. The salt or sugar can be poured into the rimming tray and then the glass dipped straight in.

These make it easier to rim cocktail or drink glasses and mean less mess and less wastage.

The 13 Best Rimming Salts And Sugars

Now that you know everything to look for and consider when choosing the best rimming salt and sugar, here are our top picks from the market right now.

We have included a range of different salts and sugars, plain, flavored, and colored, so you can find the one that would suit the cocktails and drinks you are making best!

RankProductBest Feature
1.Rokz Triple Berry Cocktail SugarBest overall rimming sugar
2.Lava Premium Margarita Lime SaltBest overall rimming salt
3.Twang-A-Rita Cocktail Rimming Salt BlendCollection of 3 salts
4.Rokz Cranberry Cocktail Sugar RimmerzDelicious cranberry flavor
5.Snowy River Orange Cocktail RimmerBeautiful orange color
6.The Spice Lab Glass Cocktail RimmerPerfect for Bloody Marys
7.Barrel Roll Bar Essentials Cocktail Rimmers Citrus Margarita SaltTangy citrus flavor
8.The Spice Lab Cinnamon Sugar Glass Cocktail RimmerMade with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves
9.Collins Celery Salt RimmerGreat celery salt option
10.Demitri’s Bacon Rim ShotSavory bacon flavor
11.Viva Doria Hawaiian Black Lava Sea Salt100% natural, vegan, and gluten-free
12.Morton Kosher SaltClassic salt rim option
13.Happy Belly White Sugar GranulatedClassic sugar rim option

1. Rokz Triple Berry Cocktail Sugar

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Rokz makes some amazing cocktail sugar for rimming cocktails, and their Triple Berry Cocktail Sugar is one of the best flavors that they make!

This sugar is a tantalizing mixture of strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry, and is amazing for cosmopolitans, berry-Coladas, and much more.

All you need to do is rim your cocktail glass with some citrus and then dip the glass down into the beautiful pink sugar, and rotate it slightly.

The Rokz Triple Berry Cocktail Sugar comes in a 5 oz. package, which should let you rim about 50 cocktail glasses.

The ingredients include cane sugar, food dyes, citric acid, and natural flavoring. Not only do you get to enjoy the great berry flavor that the sugar brings, but the pink sugar will add a great pop of color to your cocktail glass as well!

2. Lava Premium Margarita Lime Salt

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The Lava Premium Margarita Lime Salt is made with a premium blend of lime juice crystals and sea salt.

It’s very ideal for a margarita and other cocktails that could use a punch of citrus and salt.

The flavor profile of the salt is tart, sour, and citrus.

What makes this so easy to use is that the salt is sold in a rimming container, which has an ultra-wide mouth and a screw-on lid. You can simply open up the container and dip the tip of the glass into the salt.

The foam-lined screw-on lid is easy to open and closes with an airtight seal to keep the quality of the salt.

Made with only premium, clean and natural ingredients, this salt is a great option. It does not contain any fillers, artificial ingredients, or silicon dioxide. All the salt is small-batched for maximum quality and freshness.

Give your cocktail an extra kick of citrus and salt with this margarita salt rimmer and lime salt, sealed in a BPA-free food-grade rimming tin! 

3. Twang-A-Rita Cocktail Rimming Salt Blend

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If you cannot choose a single salt flavor, why not pick this pack of 3!

This pack includes Unwind Lime, Nectarberry, and Citrusplash blends.

They can be used for mojitos, margaritas, a Bloody Mary, Palomas and so much more.

The salt is so easy to use too. You can simply pour some of your chosen flavors onto a plate, wet the rim of the glass with citrus, and then dip the glass into the salt and rotate slightly.

This gives the rim of your glass, and the cocktail, a wildly flavorful kick.

All of the salts are naturally flavored and are perfect for cocktail enthusiasts who want a unique and authentic taste. The bags are also all resealable, so the flavors and the salt are kept fresh and protected.

Enjoy the one-of-a-kind blends in each pack, and use them to enhance even the most simple of cocktail drinks at home!

4. Rokz Cranberry Cocktail Sugar Rimmerz

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The Rokz Cranberry Cocktail Sugar Rimmer is a must-have for anyone who loves to make cocktails at home and experiment with different flavors!

The sugar has a blend of a natural cranberry flavor, hibiscus, orange peel, and three different types of cane sugar.

With the addition of the different types of cane sugar and the natural additives, the cocktail sugar is quite beautiful on its own, and can really add some beauty to your cocktail glass!

As the cocktail sugar is sold in a tin, you can simply rim the glass with some citrus and dip it straight into the open tin as is, rotating it gently. That’s it!

There is enough sugar in the tin to rim around 40 cocktail glasses, which is quite a bit if you enjoy the odd cocktail at home, or if you are mixing some up for your guests.

The types of sugar included in the mix are cane sugar, demerara raw cane sugar, and cane sugar crystals. There are also dried orange peels, hibiscus petals, and hibiscus petal powder.

5. Snowy River Orange Cocktail Rimmer

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This Kosher-certified all-natural orange color cocktail sugar adds such a delightful pop of color to your cocktail glass. 

It is not a flavored sugar, but a colored sugar, so you don’t have to worry about the sugar changing the taste of the cocktail too much.

Along with the orange color, the sugar has a gorgeous sparkle too, so your drinks can really sparkle and shine and look as classy as can be.

If orange is not your favorite color, Snowy River has a wide range of colors available, all glittery and pretty enough that you might not want to ruin your cocktail glass by drinking it!

6. The Spice Lab Glass Cocktail Rimmer

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For Bloody Mary lovers, The Spice Lab Glass Cocktail Rimmer Bloody Mary Salt is the best addition to your cocktail-making kit!

You can use this Bloody Mary salt rimmer in place of regular celery salt to enhance the flavor of your cocktails.

The salt is made from all-natural ingredients and adds flavor, color, and sparkle to your cocktails.

You can enjoy the salt quite easily, as it is packaged in its own salt dish which you can use to dip your cocktail glass into, so there is no wastage and no mess.

The salt is free from MSG, GMOs and is free from preservatives too. Some of the natural ingredients include Hudson Valley salt, coarse sugar, chili pepper, and garlic.

Full of flavor and a beautiful, deep red color, this salt is a must-have if a Blood Mary is made in your home often, and if you are wanting to take them a step further.

7. Barrel Roll Bar Essentials Cocktail Rimmers Citrus Margarita Salt

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With the Barrel Roll Citrus Margarita Salt, you can jazz up any cocktail at home.

The 8-ounce lime salt drink rimmer gives your cocktail a sour, citrus explosion.

For the best, richest flavor profile, the rimming salt is made from hand-selected and blended ingredients.

These include natural sea salt, cane sugar, essential oils, and real botanicals.

The citrus margarita salt is free from GMOs, MSG, and is handcrafted in small batches to ensure the best quality is kept.

With one 8 ounce tin of citrus margarita salt, there are up to 452 servings, so you can really make the most out of the delicious, flavorful, tangy salt, and use it to make a whole host of delicious cocktails.

8. The Spice Lab Cinnamon Sugar Glass Cocktail Rimmer

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Enjoy the warm, sweet spiciness of this sugar-cinnamon blend.

It will give an iconic and beloved flavor to your winter warming drinks

The sugar mix is made with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves.

It is a delightful blend of spices and some sweetness to rim different drinks, hot or cold.

All the ingredients used to make the sugar glass rimmer are GMO and MSG-free, and only premium, quality ingredients are used.

The warm, spicy and sweet blend is perfect for fall and winter cocktails, and you can really make some standout cocktails with it!

9. Collins Celery Salt Rimmer

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Celery salt is a must-have for making a good Bloody Mary.

This 7 oz. tin of celery salt from Collins is made with premium, natural ingredients, enhancing the cocktail flavors incredibly.

Enjoy the real celery taste with this cocktail salt, made with real celery seed and salt.

It has the perfect consistency that allows it to be spread on the rim of the glass evenly, without any clumps or lumps.

With an authentic taste and the right texture, this is rimming salt is definitely something to consider!

10. Demitri’s Bacon Rim Shot

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If you want to try something different from the usual salts used for a Bloody Mary, then you definitely need to give this Bacon Rim Shot a try!

It is the perfect complement to a Bloody Mary, and it is much more attractive than just using plain salt too.

The beautiful brick color, the smoky aroma, and the savory taste of bacon just add more depth to your drink, and more of a savory flavor too.

Finish off your favorite drink with this bacon-flavored salt, and take your drink to the next level.

11. Viva Doria Hawaiian Black Lava Sea Salt

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The Viva Doria Hawaiian Black Lava Sea Salt will make an amazing finishing rim on your cocktail, with its striking black color.

The salt is 100% natural, vegan, and gluten-free. It is infused with activated charcoal too.

The salt gets its natural black color and smoky flavor from lava and coconut shells, as well as the activated charcoal.

The smoky flavor can add great depth to many different drinks and cocktails, and you can add an elegant touch with the black color too. 

12. Morton Kosher Salt

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For when you want a classic rim on your drink, kosher salt is the best option.

Morton Kosher Salt is a fundamental ingredient that can bring out the flavor in many different drinks and cocktails.

The coarse salt is the right texture and size for rimming different drink glasses, and the salt will stick to the glass until you start drinking the cocktail.

There is absolutely no reason you shouldn’t keep a box of Morton Kosher salt in the kitchen, whether you are cooking something that needs seasoning, or you want to rim a glass for a well-enjoyed cocktail in the evening.

13. Happy Belly White Sugar Granulated

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Other than keeping some salt to rim your cocktail glasses, some granulated sugar should become essential in your cocktail kit too.

This Happy Belly White Granulated Sugar is a perfect option and is the right texture and size to be ideal to rim cocktail glasses with.

Enjoy a sweet kick and a bit of texture with this sugar on your cocktail glass, and it makes for the perfect addition to so many different cocktails too!

Add in some edible glitter or colored powder if you want to add some more sparkle or vibrancy to your drink.

Related Questions

Now that we’ve gone over some of our absolute favorites for rimming salts and sugars, let’s take a look at a few related questions on the subject!

How do you salt a glass rim?

To salt a glass rim, you need to slice a lime or a lemon and rub it along the rim of the glass to make it slightly moist. Once this is done, you roll the edge of the glass into the salt until the rim is completely covered

If you still need to mix your drink, you can place the salt-rimmed glass in the fridge while you are busy.

Can I use Himalayan pink salt for a margarita?

Himalayan pink salt can be used to rim the glass of a margarita, and it is a great choice. The pink color will also add a bit of shine and dazzle to your margarita too!

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