Margarita
A tequila-based cocktail of disputed origin, popular in the US.
The margarita is a cocktail built from tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and occasionally simple syrup. It can be served shaken with ice (on the rocks), without ice (straight up), or blended with ice into a frozen slush. Most bars serve it in a stepped-diameter glass known as a margarita glass—a variant of a cocktail glass or champagne coupe—often with salt or Tajín on the rim. It ranks among the most popular cocktails in the United States and is the most popular tequila-based one.
The drink’s origins are unclear. Cocktail historian David Wondrich links the margarita to the brandy daisy—margarita is Spanish for “daisy”—replacing brandy with tequila. (Daisies are a family of cocktails with a base spirit, liqueur, and citrus; the sidecar and gin daisy are related.) An account from 1936 describes Iowa newspaper editor James Graham finding such a drink in Tijuana, predating other creation stories. The 1937 *Cafe Royal Cocktail Book* includes a recipe for a Picador with the same proportions of tequila, triple sec, and lime juice. One early tale claims Carlos “Danny” Herrera invented the margarita in 1938 at his restaurant Rancho La Gloria, between Tijuana and Rosarito, for customer Marjorie King, a former Ziegfeld dancer allergic to many spirits but not tequila. This story, backed by Herrera and bartender Albert Hernandez (who popularized the drink in San Diego after 1947), was debunked in 1992 by the *San Diego Reader*. Jose Cuervo says a bartender created it in 1938 for Mexican showgirl Rita de la Rosa. Hussong’s Cantina in Ensenada claims the drink was invented there in 1941 by bartender Don Carlos Orozco, who named it after patron Margarita Henkel Cesena, a ranch operator and reportedly the daughter of a German ambassador (a detail disputed). Another claim places the first margarita at Tommy’s Place Bar in Juárez, Chihuahua, on July 4, 1942, made by Francisco “Pancho” Morales, who later left bartending for a 25-year career as a milkman in the U.S. Mexico’s Notimex and many experts consider Morales the strongest claimant. Others credit Dallas socialite Margarita Sames, who concocted the drink for guests at her Acapulco vacation home in 1948; Tommy Hilton reportedly attended and brought it to his hotel chain.
Quick Facts
- Base
- Tequila
- Ingredients
- 2 parts tequila 100% agave / 1 part Cointreau / 1 part freshly squeezed lime juice
- Served
- Rocks, straight up, frozen
- Garnish
- Salt or Tajín rim (optional)
- Prep
- Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
- Drinkware
- Margarita glass
- Origin
- Mexico
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The history of the margarita is uncertain. According to cocktail historian David Wondrich, the margarita is related to the brandy daisy (margarita is Spanish for 'daisy'), remade with tequila instead of brandy. An account from 1936 describes Iowa newspaper editor James Graham finding such a cocktail in Tijuana. The Cafe Royal Cocktail Book, published in the UK in 1937, contains a recipe for a Picador using the same concentrations of tequila, triple sec, and lime juice as a margarita.
Multiple creation stories exist. One claims the margarita was invented in 1938 by Carlos 'Danny' Herrera at his restaurant Rancho La Gloria for customer Marjorie King, who was allergic to many spirits but not tequila. Another story, promoted by Jose Cuervo, says it was invented in 1938 by a bartender in honor of Mexican showgirl Rita de la Rosa. Hussong's Cantina claims the drink was created in Ensenada in 1941 by bartender Don Carlos Orozco, named after patron Margarita Henkel Cesena. Other claims include Francisco 'Pancho' Morales mixing it at Tommy's Place Bar in Juárez on July 4, 1942, and Dallas socialite Margarita Sames concocting it in Acapulco in 1948.
Reader's Guide
The margarita's significance lies in its status as the most popular tequila-based cocktail in the United States and one of the country's most popular cocktails overall. Its origins are heavily disputed, with multiple competing claims from the 1930s and 1940s, none of which have been definitively proven. The drink has spawned numerous variations, including the frozen margarita (first served in La Jolla in 1947 when Albert Hernandez Sr. used a blender instead of crushed ice, and later with a dedicated machine introduced by Mariano Martinez in Dallas in 1971). Other variations include flavored versions using fruits, vegetables, spicy ingredients, beer cocktails like the Coronarita, and lower-calorie 'skinny' margaritas. The IBA standard ratio is 10:4:3 (tequila:triple sec:lime juice), though commercial recipes vary. The margarita is typically served in a stepped-diameter glass called a margarita glass, often with salt or Tajín on the rim.
Did You Know?
- The first known publication of a margarita recipe was in the December 1953 issue of Esquire.
- The frozen margarita machine was introduced by Mariano Martinez in Dallas in 1971.
- A beergarita (or Coronarita) is a beer cocktail with a bottle of Corona beer poured upside down into a margarita on the rocks.
- The IBA standard ratio for a margarita is 10:4:3 (tequila:triple sec:lime juice).
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