Elevate Your Margaritas With This Chunky Salt Rim

Salt on the rim of the glass of a margarita is not just a garnish, it is an ingredient that's crucial to the cocktail. It balances the acidity and sweetness, helps to cleanse the palate, and adds a savory element that keeps you coming back for the next sip. When it comes to salting the rim, kosher salt is much preferred to common table salt since the crystals are coarser, which helps keep them attached to the rim and makes the salt dissolve more slowly. But here is another idea that works just as well, or better: Try using pink salt for a different taste and a more attractive look.

There are many kinds of pink salts in varying shades of color, depending on the source and the place from which they are obtained, which range from India, Peru, Australia, and Mexico, among others. Perhaps the most famous is Himalayan pink salt, a rock salt mined in Pakistan, on the foothills of the Himalayas, and more specifically from the Khewra Salt Mines. These underground caves, which were once an ancient ocean, have been mined since before Alexander the Great, producing a naturally pink salt that gets its color from trace amounts of iron oxide.

In contrast, the pink salt from Celestun, in the Mexican Yucatan peninsula, comes from saltwater lagoons that are rich in minerals and a habitat for brine shrimp known as artemia, a deep pink crustacean that gives color to the salt and the flamingos that feed on it. The ancient Maya were already harvesting the salt, and that artisanal process is still used today. This salt is lighter in color, finer, and milder, but has a sticky, coarse texture that makes it perfect for your margarita rim.

There are a few things to keep in mind when crafting the perfect margarita, and adding salt to the rim is one of them. You can use any kind of pink salt on your margarita rim, so have a look around and find one you like best. If you choose coarse Himalayan salt crystals, you might need to grind them a bit finer, either in a salt grinder or with a mortar and pestle, to your desired texture. Avoid buying cheap powdery pink salt labeled as Himalayan, as many of these are chemically tinted salts rather than the real thing. Real Himalayan salt has a pleasantly salty, distinct mineral flavor and a slightly higher price tag. 

When it comes to choosing the recipe, you can't go wrong with the classic margarita, either frozen or on the rocks. The pink salt rim will add a splash of color to the pale green hue of the cocktail. If you want to kick things up a notch, a pink salt rim will taste and look fantastic on this frozen margarita with avocado and cilantro. If you are a fan of fruity cocktails, a pink salt rim will add balance and color contrast to any fruit-based margarita, whether it's a strawberry, orange, or mango margarita you are craving. Plus, you can always customize your pink salt by adding extra flavors before using. Think about mixing with chile powder, Tajin, or crushed pink peppercorns for a burst of flavor to send your taste buds to margarita heaven.