The Simple, Brilliant Margarita Hack You Need to Know

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, this expert tip is a game changer

a woman in a red floral dress rimming a rocks glass with salt on a mosaic table

By Amanda Gabriele / April 29, 2026 3:49 pm

The Margarita is one of the simplest, most crowd-pleasing cocktails you can make. Whether I’m mixing a couple for a backyard happy hour with my husband or batching for a crowd, it’s difficult to go wrong with the three-ingredient drink. But there’s one aspect of the cocktail I’ve never been able to get right — getting the salt to stay on the rim.

I’ve watched countless bartenders rim a glass with ease, but no matter how hard I try to replicate their technique at home, the salt always slides down the side of the glass, all sad and droopy-like. As someone who loves a salt-tinged Margarita, this means I have to lick the side of the glass like a sloppy dog instead of simply sipping from the rim for that hit of savory. But don’t fret because this story ends well!

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Last month, I spent the weekend at Foxwoods Resort Casino to celebrate the opening of The Bedford by Martha Stewart. The festivities commenced with a cocktail demo from Martha herself, where she made one of her favorite drinks, the Meyer Lemon Drop. As the queen of entertaining mixed up the cocktail — with a heavy-handed pour of vodka, mind you! — she rimmed each coupe glass in sugar, which is standard practice for this classic. As she talked about how to prep them in advance for a crowd, she gave us an invaluable piece of advice.

“I rim the glasses early in the day, so they dry,” Martha says. “Then the sugar or salt doesn’t fall off.”

Brilliant? Yes. So easy? Also yes. I’ve tried this technique at home, and it makes a huge difference. Rather than fighting for my life attempting to keep the salt on the rim after pouring a Margarita into the glass, it simply stays put.

Whether you’re rimming your Margarita with salt, Tajin or something else, remember to let it dry before pouring the drink into the glass. And if you’re looking to test it out on something a little snazzier than the classic Marg, the three recipes below should do the trick.

The Gage’s Habañero Margarita

Servings: 1

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 habanero chiles, chopped
1 oz. blanco tequila
.5 oz. mezcal
2 oz. fresh lime juice
.5 oz. orange curaçao
1 oz. habanero-infused syrup (recipe below)
Kashmiri chili powder mixed with salt, for the rim

Directions

For the habanero-infused syrup
1. Combine the sugar, water and habaneros in a pot and bring to a boil. Stir gently until the sugar is dissolved and let steep until it reaches an appropriate level of heat/flavor (start with 15 minutes and taste).
2. Strain and bottle. The syrup can be kept in the fridge for up to 1 month.
For the cocktail:
1. Rim a rocks glass with the chili powder-salt mixture.
2. Add tequila, mezcal, lime juice, orange curaçao and habanero-infused syrup to a shaker tin with ice. Shake and strain into the chili-salt-rimmed glass over a large ice cube.

Muerte Negra Margarita

Servings: 1

Ingredients

1 cup water
1 cup agave syrup
1 tsp. organic activated charcoal powder
1.5 oz. Herradura Tequila
1 oz. charcoal agave syrup (recipe below)
1 oz. fresh lime juice
Tajin, for the rim
Dehydrated lime wheel, for garnish

Directions

For the charcoal agave syrup:
1. Combine water, agave and activated charcoal in a saucepan. Heat the mixture on medium and stir it until all the sugar is dissolved and everything is combined.
2. Allow it to cool, then cover and chill. For the best viscosity, chill in the refrigerator overnight.
For the cocktail:
1. Combine the tequila, charcoal agave syrup and lime juice in a shaker tin. Add ice and shake until chilled.
2. Apply a Tajin rim to a rocks glass, then strain the drink into the glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a dehydrated lime wheel.

Don Julio Avoketo Margarita

Servings: 4

Ingredients

6 oz. Tequila Don Julio Reposado
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1 avocado, skin and pit removed
Pinch of salt
Cilantro, for garnish (optional)
Lime wheel, for garnish
Chili lime salt, for the rim

Directions

1. Rim 4 rocks glasses with chili lime salt.
2. Combine Don Julio, lime juice, avocado and salt in a blender with 2.5 cups crushed ice. Blend until the texture is smooth. Pour contents into the rimmed rocks glasses over fresh ice. Garnish as desired.