Every February 22, on-premise venues around the world celebrate International Margarita Day, paying homage to one of the world’s most celebrated sweet, sour and salty cocktails.
According to nationaltoday.com, the Margarita (Spanish for daisy) was first made in 1938 by Carlos “Danny” Herrera in his restaurant in Baja California.
Lore dictates he made it for a famous customer named Marjorie King, a dancer in the broadway production of Ziegfeld Follies because she was allergic to spirits but not tequila.
However, Herrera isn’t the only person to claim to be the OG margarita maker, says National Today.
Francisco “Pancho” Morales – a bartender in Mexico – claims to have first mixed the cocktail in 1942 in Juárez, Mexico.
But the wildest story is that of Margarita Sames, a Dallas “higher class” citizen, who believed she created the drink in her holiday home for her guests in Acapulco, Mexico in 1948.
Tommy Hilton, who was friends with Margarita, attended the party and put it on the menu at his hotels.
BUT, Jose Cuervo, of the famous tequila brand, claimed he was already running ad campaigns for the drink in 1945, with the catchphrase, “Margarita: It’s more than a girl’s name.”
However it was created, the Margarita is now a staple on on-premise cocktail lists, with options from frozen to fruity, skinny to sporty – but everyone knows, you can’t beat the classic.
The Classic Margarita
120ml high-quality blanco tequila
60ml triple sec, such as Cointreau
45ml fresh juice from 2 limes
1 lime wedge, plus 2 lime wheels for garnish
1 tablespoon coarse salt, for glass rims
Method
Run lime wedge around the outer rims of two rocks glasses and dip rims in salt. Set aside.
In a cocktail shaker, combine tequila, Cointreau, and lime juice. Fill with ice and shake until thoroughly chilled, about 15 seconds.
Fill glasses with fresh ice and strain margarita into both glasses. Garnish with lime wheels and serve.
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