How do you rim yours?? A Primer on rimming alcoholic drinks

As I have said in my posts before...I luurrvvee 'tinis...as a result, I love rimmers. Rimmers take a drink from "wow" to "POW" in 10 seconds flat. One can be as creative with their rimmer as they can their drink because there are rimmers for every season and, I swear, every drink.

What type of rimmers are out there:

*Cocktail rimmers~I swear that is what they are called. They range from bloody mary rimmers to umpteen martini rimmers. They can be purchased at liquor stores and most grocery stores that sell alcohol.
*Celery salt~This is my choice of rimmer for my bloody mary. It is simple and doesn't detract from the drink like I have seen with a couple of bloody mary rimmers which are on the market for a whole lot more money
* Colored sugars~ These are just your holiday baking sugars in a number of different colors
* Flavored sugars~ These can be a bit more difficult to find, so I grab them whenever I can
* Margarita salt~ It is just not for margaritas. I use it for all of my tequila drinks which call for a salted rim. It is heavier duty and coarser than table salt.
* Sweetened cocoa~ Is used for my drinks which are cream and/or chocolate based.
* Ground Graham Cracker Crumbs~ This is all I use for my "pie" tinis! Awesome, Simply Awesome!
* Ground Spice Cookies~ I use this for a number of my holiday drinks to give them that extra specialness.

So, first, a quick primer in how to rim:

1) Like the saying "PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!" My saying is "martini glasses MUST be cold"! Like a chunk of my barware, there is a spot in the deep freezer for it, but, while some can be rotated out depending on space issues, this isn't the case with your tini glasses. I equate putting ice cubes in martinis to putting them in red wine...Faux Pas, Paux Pas, Faux Pas!! Alright, off my soap box!

2) Next, pour a liquid into a dish wide enough to accept the whole rim of the tini glass. I actually grabbed a container that my son's fried rice came in and washed it 50 million times to make sure there was no extra flavorings to my juice. Normally, I choose to use fresh lime juice (note: not concentrated).

3) Take out a piece of wax paper, freezer paper or parchment paper and tape it to your table counter or wherever you plan on making your tinis. Next, take your rimmer choice and pour some onto the paper.

4) Take your glass out of the freezer.  Dip the glass in the liquid and then roll it in your rimmer. Voila..you now have a restaurant quality rimmer.

First dip in liquid such as lime juice..then

roll in rimmer of choice

5) Immediately return the glass to the freezer while you make your drink. When the drink is made, remove glass from freezer and pour the drink into the glass. Aim for the center of the glass, so none of the rimmer comes off.

Graham Cracker Rimmer

Pomegranate Tini Rimmer

What results is a restaurant quality drink that can run as much as $12 in a restaurant for a smidgen of the cost!