Cocktails 101 — Margarita
The first cocktail I ever tried was a frozen margarita. Over the years, my taste buds and appreciation of Tequila have certainly developed. Having tried a variety of different styles of a margarita, It’s time to learn more about the roots of this refreshing spring/ summer cocktail.
The Margarita cocktail is a popular tequila-based drink that has been enjoyed by people around the world for over 80 years. While many stories surround the Margarita’s origins, the most commonly accepted theory is that it was created in the late 1930s or early 1940s in Mexico.
According to legend, the Margarita was first mixed up by a bartender named Carlos “Danny” Herrera in Tijuana. Herrera had been asked by a customer, a dancer named Marjorie King, to create a new drink that she could enjoy, as she found most tequila-based drinks too harsh.
Herrera experimented with various combinations of Tequila, lime, and triple sec, eventually settling on a mix of Tequila, lime juice, and Cointreau. He then served the drink in a salt-rimmed glass, which he claimed would help to balance the sweetness of the Cointreau and the tartness of the lime juice.
Over time, the Margarita gained popularity in Mexico and spread to the United States. In fact, the first known publication of a Margarita recipe in the United States was in Esquire magazine in December 1953, which described it as a “delicious, refreshing tequila cocktail.”
The Margarita continued to gain popularity throughout the 1950s and 1960s, becoming a staple of Mexican restaurants and bars in the United States. During this time, the frozen Margarita was also created, which combined crushed ice, Tequila, lime juice, and triple sec in a blender, creating a slushy, refreshing version of the classic cocktail.
In the following decades, the Margarita continued to evolve and be reinvented, with various flavours and ingredients added to the mix. Today, you can find a Margarita in almost any flavour imaginable, from traditional lime to strawberry, maracuja (same family as passionfruit), watermelon, and even jalapeño.
In conclusion, the Margarita has a rich and storied history that spans over eight decades. While its exact origins may be up for debate, what is certain is that it has become a beloved and iconic cocktail enjoyed by millions of people worldwide. Whether sipping on a classic Margarita on the rocks or indulging in a frozen fruity concoction, there’s no denying that the Margarita is here to stay.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 50ml tequila (2 shots)
- 25ml lime juice
- 25ml triple sec (1 shot)
- Lime wedges
- Salt
- Lots of ice
Method
- Prepare your glass. My preference is to ditch the salt rim; however, to stay true to the drink’s history, I like to have a 1/2 salted glass rim. To do this, apply lime juice to half of the rim of the glass. Take a plate and sprinkle a good amount of salt on the plate. Turn your glass upside down and carefully brush the glass rim over the salt on the plate. If you’ve done this correctly, you should have a lovely, half-salted cocktail glass.
- Fill your cocktail shaker with a glass of ice, tequila, lime juice, triple sec, and shake until the shaker is too cold to hold.
- Fill your glass with some ice (normally half a glass) and pour your drink through a strainer.
- Finish the drink by adding some lime wedges for taste, and enjoy your drink.