Tommy's Margarita, Cadillac Margarita,
Frozen Rita, Tequila Daisy,
Tequila Sour…
Margarita goes by many names and even more recipes.
There are many who claim ownership of the original or best Margarita.
But Margarita will not be owned by anyone and will not be told what she should or should
not be.
So, what is a Margarita?
Where did she come from?
And, more importantly, what’s “the best” Margarita recipe?
Let’s get to the bottom of it in this week’s “Drawn from the Barrel”.
But before we go on a road trip down to Margaritaville, make sure you subscribe to our Youtube channel
and hit that bell button to get notified when new boozy content pours in.
Now, buckle up, it’s time to find out “What’s the Real Margarita?”
What is a Margarita?
Margarita translates to daisy in Spanish and actually belongs to a “sour” cocktail
category, called a Daisy, which was very popular in the 1930s and 40s.
A Daisy is any Spirit mixed with something sour, usually citrus, and a bit of sweetener.
La Margarita is made from 2 parts Tequila, 1 part lime juice and 1 part Triple Sec.
Bartenders were making Daisies of everything for quite some time before the Margarita evolved
its own name and identity, so the first Margaritas were most likely called a Tequila Daisy or
even a Tequila Sour.
Margarita the Origins.
There are many who claim ownership of the original Margarita recipe.
Some say it was Johnny Durlesser, head barman at McHenry’s Tail o’ the Cock Restaurants,
we have to thank for creating the Marguerita way back in 1937.
Or maybe it was invented by mistake at about the same time, when Madden, an Irish bartender
from Tijuana wanted to make a Brandy Daisy, but grabbed the wrong bottle.
Some claim it was Don Carlos Orozco at Hussong's for a patron named Margarita Henkel Cesena
in 1941.
Others insist it was the Dallas Socialite Margarita Sames in 1948 at a Christmas party.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
What we do know is that in 1955, José Cuervo launched a major advertising campaign in the
US to promote Tequila-based drinks and Margarita was the star of the show.
It was the cocktail that put Tequila on the map and on the table at every bar.
Margarita’s Rise in the Popularity The drink grew in popularity through the 60s
but it was the 70s that cemented its status.
You see, frozen Margaritas were a big thing then and bartenders were suffering through
blender after blender to make them because… well they just couldn’t handle Margarita
right back then.
Then one day, Dallas restaurant owner Mariano Martinez was driving home when he stopped
at a 7-11, saw the Slurpee machine, and had a brain freeze… khm, we mean a brainwave.
On May 11, 1971, he retrofitted a soft-serve ice cream machine, and history was made.
The World’s First Frozen Margarita Machine was created thanks to two parts necessity
and one part ingenuity.
Martinez’s Frozen Rita went viral and happy hours have never been the same since.
In 2005, the Machine was donated to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, where
it’s on display today.
Later that decade a certain Jimmy Buffett was found wasting away in Margaritaville when
he got inspired to write a song that would get the whole nation searching for their lost
shakers of salt.
Some people claim that there was a woman to blame, but we have it on good authority that
it was Jimmy’s own damn fault.
And you can also blame him for an entire lifestyle defined by Hawaiian shirts and day-drinking
at the beach.
The Real Margarita Recipe
May the real Margarita please stand up!
Margarita can be anything: sour, sweet, spicy, strong, or relaxed.
It’s more of a family than a definite recipe.
Everyone can enjoy their own version.
Want it fresh and fruity?
Blend in some passion fruit or mango puree.
Want it sweeter?
Substitute your orange liqueur with agave syrup.
Want it a bit more nuanced?
Substitute the blanco with reposado.
Want it to be more robust?
Use unaged mezcal.
Want it to have a punch?
Add some chilly salt to the rim.
Margaritas Para Siempre
Today, Margarita’s fame continues to shine
as it is a recipe anyone is able to replicate at home without breaking the budget.
Thought of as “a vacation in a glass”
Margarita is delicious, refreshing, versatile, and festive, and it was absolutely made for hot, summer
temperatures.
It’s one of the fastest growing categories of cocktails in the USA today and it is reported
that Americans consume an average of 185.000 Margaritas per hour!
Talk about wasting away…
So what is your favorite take on a Margarita?
Let us know in the comments below!
And if you’re thirsty for more boozy knowledge, check out our channel.
We’ll be adding new videos every week.
Salud!