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Great Cinnamon Sugar Rim Recipe for Christmas Cocktails

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Learn how to rim a glass with Cinnamon Sugar for the ultimate craft cocktail this holiday season! From Pumpkin Beer to Christmas Ale, there are so many seasonal drinks that would taste great with this Cinnamon Sugar Rim recipe. Create it in just moments!

Close up of a coffee cocktail with a cinnamon sugar rim.
This Cinnamon Sugar rim is perfect for holiday drinks!

I made this easy cinnamon sugar rim with sugar sent to me by C&H Sugar.

You’ll love this cinnamon sugar rim

I can’t wait for you to try this simple Cinnamon and Sugar Rim recipe – it looks super fancy, and tastes delicious too! It’s the best way to serve Christmas cocktails, in my opinion.

This cinnamon sugar rim recipe for Christmas ale (I’m showing it here with beer) is unique and a must-try!

You know I love making pretty cocktails all year around, but there is just something about this time of year that makes me want to up my game a little.

You know I think rimming a glass is a quick way to upgrade a drink and it can often take the place of a fancy garnish.

Related: Rose Rim for Champagne

It’s an instant upgrade to so many drinks.

And it was only a matter of time before I made a Cinnamon Sugar Rim. What holiday drink is not improved with a hit of cinnamon?? Even one of these festive coffee drinks would be delicious with one.

And while I make this blend to dress up cocktails, don’t forget about the kids! Add a rim to their ginger ale for a festive touch. This is a super quick and easy idea to do for all your fall gatherings and holiday parties

Ingredients

Box of granulated sugar on the countertop next to a small glass bowl of ground cinnamon.
You only need 3 ingredients to make a Cinnamon Sugar Cocktail Rim!

Here’s what you need to make a Cinnamon Sugar Drink Rim:

Granulated sugar is fine here – don’t be tempted to use brown sugar or superfine sugar as they dissolve too quickly in water to give a neat rim.

All you need is water to make this Cinnamon Sugar Rim stick, but simple syrup will work even better if you have some to hand. I like store-bought over homemade simple syrup because it’s a little bit stickier.

You can also use maple syrup but I think the flavor is a little too bold.

And while I’m sticking to just cinnamon and sugar, you can also add in other fall spices and even a little fresh ginger to make it really zingy.

To keep things really easy, you can use a store-bought cinnamon sugar mix.

See the printable recipe card for quantities and full recipe.

How to Make a Cinnamon Sugar Rim

Small glass bowl of cinnamon and sugar.

Step 1

Add the sugar and cinnamon to a small bowl.

Glass bowl of stirred together cinnamon and sugar with a silver spoon on a white marble worktop.

Step 2

Stir together until they are evenly distributed.

You can make this ahead and store it in an airtight container until needed.

Bottle of simple syrup next to a white dish.

Step 3

Pour water or simple syrup into a shallow dish or wide bowl big enough to dip the rim of your glass.

Glass sitting upside down in a white dish.

Step 4

And dip!

I like to dab the rim lightly onto a paper towel to avoid any drips. I don’t want to wipe it off, I just want to make sure there’s not too much heavy syrup.

You can find more tips for creating a rim for your cocktail glasses in my guide.

Glass upside down in a dish of cinnamon sugar.

Step 5

Then dip the rim of the glass into the cinnamon sugar mixture that I’ve put on a small plate.

Empty glass with a cinnamon sugar rim.

Step 6

Now you’re ready to add your seasonal drink of choice! Just set the glass aside while you make your favorite recipe full of fall flavors.

Variations

  • Mix up the spices – cinnamon is not the only warming fall spice that will work here: ginger is a great addition as well as a small pinch of nutmeg, cloves or cardamom. But only a pinch as they can be quite overwhelming! Pumpkin spice mix would also be great for a pumpkin cocktail!
  • Add a touch of salt – cinnamon works best in a sweet rim, but if you’re making a holiday drink such as my Pumpkin Spice Margarita where a salted rim would not be out of place add a little salt for a sweet ‘n’ salty rim situation.
  • Citrus – Fall flavors go really well with orange! You can zest some orange peel and mix that in with the cinnamon and sugar. It will be a little heavier and may not stick as well, but the nice aroma you’ll get as you bring the glass to your lips will be heavenly. 

Tip

This rim idea is also great for serving punch. Just rim the glasses and set out for guests to serve themselves. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you add this cinnamon sugar rim to glasses in advance?

Your rim will survive best made as soon as possible to serving but if you’re setting up a drinks table for a holiday party they should be good for about half an hour. For best results, use simple syrup to stick the rim here rather than sugar.

Can you just rim the outside of a glass?

Yes! If you are concerned about a drink becoming off balance due to the garnish, you can rim just the outside. In that instance, you will dip the glass at a 45-degree angle taking care to just get the outer rim wet. You’ll then dip the wetness into the salt or sugar.

You can also just rim one section of a glass!

Cinnamon sugar rim on a coffee cocktail with the box of sugar in the background.

More easy holiday cocktail recipes

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Close up of a cocktail with a cinnamon sugar rim.

A Cinnamon Sugar Rim for Levelling-up Your Holiday Drinks!

Looking to upgrade your Christmas cocktails this year? This easy Cinnamon Sugar Rim recipe looks super fancy, and tastes delicious too!
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: cocktails
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Calories: 48kcal
Servings: 4 drinks

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Add the sugar and cinnamon to a small bowl. You can use between 2 tsp – 1 tbsp of cinnamon, it depends on how much you like cinnamon! I used the full 1 tbsp.
  • Stir together until evenly distributed. Spread out on a small plate.
  • To rim the glass, dip the whole rim (or just a section) in water or simple syrup held in a shallow container (big enough for the glass to fit).
  • Dip the wet rim into the sugar mixture.
  • Set aside to dry while you make your cocktail.

Notes

The nutrition info is off as it’s taking the full amount of cinnamon and sugar into consideration. 
Variations
    • Mix up the spices – cinnamon is not the only warming fall spice that will work here: ginger is a great addition as well as a small pinch of nutmeg, cloves or cardamom. But only a pinch as they can be quite overwhelming! Pumpkin spice mix would also be great for pumpkin drinks.
    • Add a touch of salt – cinnamon works best in a sweet rim, but if you’re making a holiday drink such as my Pumpkin Spice Margarita where a salted rim would not be out of place add a little salt for a sweet ‘n’ salty rim situation.
    • Citrus – Fall flavors go really well with orange! You can zest some orange peel and mix that in with the cinnamon and sugar. It will be a little heavier and may not stick as well, but the nice aroma you’ll get as you bring the glass to your lips will be heavenly. 
If using simple syrup, I like to dab the dipped rim super lightly on a paper towel to catch any excess so it doesn’t drip down the side of the glass.

Nutrition

Serving: 1rim | Calories: 48kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 0.1mg | Potassium: 0.3mg | Sugar: 12g | Calcium: 0.1mg | Iron: 0.01mg
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5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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