While salt rims are usually associated with Mexican drinks like Margaritas and Micheladas, salt can complement many cocktail styles. Salt can add balance to strong flavors or enhance the perception of certain flavors, particularly umami. Salt acts both on our tongues and on the drink itself.
All animals need salt. The human body uses salt to transport nutrients into cells, send nerve impulses, make muscles contract, maintain the right fluid balance using the kidneys, and cool the skin through sweating. As Hank Green said
The fact is, you are a fish and you never really left the water. You carry the ocean with you everywhere you go.
Salt is so vital to our physiology that we actually have two types of salt receptors on our tongues, one for low levels and one for high levels¹. Salt may also activate touch sensors in the mouth, creating a sense of viscosity².
The ions in salt also react with the acids, sugars, proteins, and alkaloids in our food and drinks to alter ionic bonds and change the way those components interact with our taste receptors.
Using salt in cocktails
The classic use of salt is as a rim, a strip of salt stuck to the rim of the glass. Salt can be overwhelming – consider applying salt to only half the rim to give the drinker the option to sip from the salty side or the plain side. The flavor of the wetting agent is part of the cocktail too. While water works, it tends to bead up on the glass and contributes nothing to the flavor of the drink. Citrus, fruit juices, and flavored syrups can add a complementary flavor and increased stickiness to hold the salt better.
The type of salt is important too. Regular table salt can work in a pinch, but flaky kosher or sea salt (like fleur de sel) dissolves faster, giving a quick burst of salt without a lingering taste or grittiness. Salts can be flavored with powdered fruit juices, crushed herbs, or wood smoke. Drinks in Mexico are often dipped in chamoy, a sticky fruit paste, and dusted with Tajin, a mix of salt, chili powder, and lime juice powder.
- Spread a layer of salt on a small, clean plate or saucer.
- Wet the rim of the serving glass while holding the glass upside down and allow excess liquid to drip off. You can run a slice of fruit, such as a lemon or lime wedge, around the rim or dip the rim in a saucer containing a small amount of the liquid of your choice.
- Hold the glass upside-down at a 45-degree angle to the plate
- Gently roll the wetted outside edge of the rim in the salt. Avoid getting any salt on the inside edge to keep excess salt out of the drink.
- Shake off the excess salt over a sink. Avoid dropping any salt from the rim back onto the plate, as this contaminates the remaining salt and can cause clumping.
- Store the remaining salt for reuse.
- Set the glass upright and allow the rim to dry before pouring your drink
Try a few of our salt rim recipes.
Saline Solution
Adding a few drops of saline solution has gained popularity in high-end cocktail bars. Adding a tiny bit of salt to a drink, particularly those with citrus juices, can enhance the flavor, but it's easy to add too much. Trying to measure a few grains of salt is difficult so a 20% saline solution stored in a dropper bottle makes it easy to measure out just the right amount.
In a 3-oz or 100-ml bottle, combine:
- 20 grams of salt (about 3.4 teaspoons of table salt but salt density can vary)
- 80 ml of warm water
Shake until the salt completely dissolves. Use a dropper to dispense 3 to 5 drops into a cocktail before mixing or shaking. Try adding a few drops to your morning coffee to tame the bitterness.
References
- Dance, A. Salt taste is surprisingly mysterious. 09.13.2023. Knowable Magazine https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/food-environment/2023/salt-taste-surprisingly-mysterious
- Gillette M. Flavor effects of sodium chloride. Food Technology. 1985;39(6):47–52. Reprinted in Taste and Flavor Roles of Sodium in Foods: A Unique Challenge to Reducing Sodium Intake
