Miguel Vallin
Miguel Vallin, chief mixologist at Revolucion Mexican Steakhouse in Chicago, prepares his cocktail rimmers.
By Ed Avis
When customers order a specialty margarita at Revolución Mexican Steakhouse in Chicago for the first time, most probably expect the basic rim of salt. What they get instead is a work of art.
“Rimmers are a key part of the presentation of our drinks,” says Jorge Estrada, director of operations for Mariachi Hospitality Group, which owns Revolución. “Miguel (Vallin), our chief mixologist, really lets his creativity shine when he’s developing the rimmer for each drink.”
Vallin meets with the restaurant’s chef regularly to discuss upcoming specials and develops specialty margaritas and other cocktails to accompany them. The rimmer is then designed either to match or to purposely contrast with one or more of the flavors in the cocktail.
For example, for a recently created Hibiscus Margarita, Vallin made a rimmer of crushed dried orange peel, dried hibiscus and black lava sea salt. The dried hibiscus highlighted the taste of the fresh hibiscus in the cocktail, while the orange peel and sea salt added a tangy contrast. The colors of the rimmer—a mix or orange, red and black—added visual appeal.
“I like to incorporate some of the same ingredients in the rimmer as are in the drink so the flavors match,” Vallin says. “But sometimes I give it a twist.”
One example: Vallin’s Avocado Mango Margarita rimmer made with crushed, dried avocado leaf and dried mango peel (to mesh with flavors in the cocktail), plus Vallin’s “twist”—crystallized brown sugar that delivers a slightly sweet touch.
Other examples of how rimmers can sweeten bar drinks include Vallin’s Piña Colada Mojito accented with a toasted coconut and brown sugar rimmer, and the sweet, creamy Horchata con Piquete with the Vallin-created rimmer made from ground Abuelita chocolate and crushed Galletas Marias (Mexican cookies).
Making them Stick
Lime or lemon juice, or a swish of the cocktail itself, are the most common liquids used to adhere rimmer to the edge of a cocktail glass. But Vallin’s creative impulses often intervene, resulting in more innovative options.
He often uses agave syrup as the adhesive liquid on the rim, and uses a generous dip of chamoy (a spicy/sweet Mexican sauce made from pickled fruit) to hold a rimmer of Tajin and crystalized brown sugar on Revolucion’s Tamarind Morita Margarita. The combination of Tajin, sugar and chamoy match the spicy/sweet flavor of the margarita.
Vallin prefers agave syrup or chamoy over lime juice because they don’t dribble down the glass as much as lime juice tends to. “You can get the rimmer to stay exactly where you want it,” he says, noting that he often rims only half the glass so the customer can sip the cocktail with or without the rimmer.
Other common rimming liquids include simple syrup, honey, caramel, chocolate syrup or corn syrup.
Creative Sourcing
Miguel Vallin
Miguel Vallin prepares a cocktail
Many ingredients for rimmers are widely available commercially, but Vallin prefers to make his own ingredients whenever possible.
“When I first started here, I had a terrible time finding all of the ingredients I wanted to use,” Vallin says. “So finally I said, ‘Why am I wasting my time looking for these things? I can just make them.’”
Among the rimmer ingredients Vallin makes are dried cilantro (which he mixes with Tajin for a rimmer on the spicy La Picosita Margarita), dried hibiscus, dried avocado leaf, dried orange and mango peel, and shredded, toasted coconut. Essentially, he hand-makes any ingredient that can be crafted from fresh fruit, vegetables or herbs. Incidentally, he also makes his own fruit purees.
“About the only thing I don’t make is the tequila!” he laughs.
Of course, there are some classic commercially available ingredients that find their way into many of Vallin’s rimmers. He uses kosher salt or black lava sea salt (a combination of sea salt and purified volcanic charcoal) to rim drinks that call for a simple salt rim, including the restaurant’s standard house margarita. He also keeps a supply of brown turbinado sugar and standard flavor Tajin. The chamoy he keeps on hand is Mega brand.
“One important thing about any new rimmer you make is that you have to try it yourself before you serve it,” Vallin notes. “It can look great but not taste good—that’s not going to work.”
Ed Avis is the publisher of el Restaurante.
Rimming Tips
Find out how a rimmer affects the taste of a cocktail before finalizing the recipe. To do that, sip it first without tasting the rimmer (either by sipping on the unsalted side of the glass or by drinking through a straw) and then sip it with the rimmer.
Experiment with the thickness or depth of the rimmer. Some cocktails call for a thick stripe of rimmer, which allows the customer to mix in a lot of rimmer with each sip, while others need just a thin stripe across the top.
Rimmer Options
Salt
Kosher salt, sea salt, or black lava sea salt
Sugar
Granulated white sugar, cane sugar, brown turbinado sugar, and sugars mixed with any of the fruit or spice options (see below).
Fruit
Strawberries, blueberries, mango, peaches, pineapple, shredded toasted coconut
Use a spice or coffee grinder to powderize freeze-dried fruit
Fruit Peels
Lime, orange or grapefruit
Put on paper towel; microwave 60 to 90 seconds, until dry; grind in spice or coffee bean grinder
Herbs/Spices
Dry herbs and spices such as basil, coriander, cumin, black pepper, cinnamon, rosemary, thyme; fresh herbs such as basil or cilantro
For fresh herbs, dry and grind them using the same method for the fruit peels (see above).
Chiles
Chile powder
Make your own by crushing dried peppers; use sparingly and/or mix the powder with other ingredients to cut the heat
Cookies, crackers
Graham crackers, Mexican galletas, vanilla wafers, biscotti
Crush these or any dry baked good to make a rimmer
Chocolate
Shaved Mexican chocolate such as Abuelita, cocoa powder, or crushed M&Ms
These options enhance sweet, creamy drinks
Other
Any dry edible item—dried edible flowers such as hibiscus, avocado leaves, crumbled bacon, crushed hard candy, instant coffee crystals, tea leaves