Salt the Cocktail, Not the Edge of the Glass
Salt makes everything better, including drinks . In addition to margarita, salt enhances the flavor and softens the bitterness of almost any cocktail. While it is common practice to rim the glass with sodium chloride, it is a rough practice, so season the drink , not the drinking vessel.
The disadvantages of glass edging are obvious. The word “rimming” is not only unpleasant to say, type, and read, but licking a glass to get the flavoring you want looks creepy, and most people don’t want to look creepy while drinking in a social setting. And while the drink may look pretty with a salty edge at first, its appearance quickly tarnishes when you drink it (and saliva becomes covered all over).
Adding salt directly to the drink also gives the producer more control over the amount of seasoning; a healthy pinch is usually sufficient. If you want to be really demanding, you can make a small saline solution of 50 grams of salt (Eater recommends Maldon) in 200 grams of boiling water so you can add it drop by drop. You get all the flavorful benefits of a salty rim without the awkwardness of licking things.