A hint of saline can lend a backbone to a number of different drinks, tempering bitterness and accenting fresh fruit flavors, which is why it's no surprise that the salted rim has become a practically essential component in drinks like the Margarita and the Michelada.

Adaptable as these drinks are, so too is the classic salted rim, which can almost always benefit from a little extra attention. Here, Brooklyn-based chef Kathryn Peetz gives salt the culinary treatment, calling on both highbrow and lowbrow ingredients—fennel fronds, black limes, freeze-dried mangos and taco seasoning—for five distinct salt garnishes that can elevate a wide variety of drinks, both sweet and savory. And they're pretty, to boot.

It's worth noting that, when making your salt mix of choice, you'll want to use a coffee grinder or a dedicated spice grinder to pulverize the dried ingredients into a powder. (To clean the grinder, add in a handful of uncooked rice and buzz it to pulverize. Then, discard the rice grounds and wipe the grinder clean with a paper towel.) As for serving size, each of the recipes below yields about a quarter-cup of salt mix but can easily be doubled.

Black Lime and Strawberry Salt

Freeze-dried strawberries lend sweetness and color to this salt, but much of its flavor comes from small, wrinkly Persian black limes, which are soaked in brine and dried in the sun for a uniquely floral, funky and sour punch.

Try it with:

Grapefruit, Fennel and Habanero Salt

In this mix, a bittersweet combination of grapefruit and fennel gets a dose of habanero heat.

Try it with:

Smoky Coconut-Mango Salt

Toasting the mild pulla chili pepper unleashes a charred, fruity flavor that falls into perfect harmony when paired with mango, coconut and lime in this salt.

Try it with:

La Bodega Salt

Look no further than your neighborhood corner store to create a Tex-Mex-inspired salt mix.

Try it with:

Mexican Cocoa Salt

Corn nuts, a popular snack throughout Central and South America, meet cinnamon and cocoa powder for a crunchy, salty riff on a south-of-the-border-style hot chocolate.

Try it with: