Everything You Need To Know About The Margarita
Written by: Tom Sullivan
The Margarita.
Here at Nosotros, the mere mention of the word will have us turning any hour into a happy one. And while you’ve probably had somewhere between one and five hundred margs in your life, you may not know much about the iconic beverage.
It’s time to change that. So get out your notepad and pen, because we’re here to teach you everything you need to know about the Margarita.
Who invented the Margarita?
Part of the allure of the Margarita is that its origin is shrouded in mystery. While many claim to have invented the delicious cocktail, it’s impossible to validate any of these stories.
Carlos “Danny” Herrera claims that he first invented the drink at his Tijuana roadside restaurant in the 1940s in order to impress a young showgirl named Marjorie King. The closest name to “Marjorie” in Mexico? Margarita.
Another story goes that Margarita Sames, an American socialite, created the drink by mixing her two favorite spirits, tequila and Cointreau, while in Acapulco in 1948. She credits her friends, hotel magnates Conrad Hilton Jr and Joseph Drown, for popularizing the drink at hotel bars.
A third origin story comes from a man named Pancho Morales, who claims to have invented the Marg at his Juarez, Mexico restaurant named Tommy’s Place on July 4th, 1942. A customer requested a drink called a Magnolia, and instead of admitting he didn’t know what that was, he whipped up a brand new drink with tequila and lime.
Where does the Margarita come from?
It’s theorized that the predecessor of the Margarita is a drink called the Daisy. The Daisy was a popular drink in the prohibition era, and consisted of brandy, lime, and orange liqueur. Swap out brandy for tequila, and voila - you have a Margarita. While there is no explicit connection between the Daisy cocktail and the Margarita, the word Margarita is Spanish for daisy.
David Wondrich, a “barstool historian” writes “If you take a Brandy Daisy, a standard bar dink of the pre-Prohibition era, and accidentally reach for the tequila instead of the brandy - well, you be the judge”.
What’s In A Margarita?
There are three main ingredients to the Margarita. Tequila, lime juice, and “something sweet”. While the most common margarita recipe is tequila, lime, and orange liqueur, there are a few different ingredients you can use as the third piece of the flavor puzzle.
Orange Liqueur
Whether it’s Triple Sec, Cointreau, or Dry Curacao, orange liqueur works wonders paired with tequila and lime, adding a third unique flavor to the mix.
Agave
Using agave as the third ingredient in Margaritas is a new development. The recent wellness trend has popularized agave syrup, which is ideal for skinny margaritas.
Simple Syrup
While simple syrup adds sweetness, it doesn’t add a unique flavor depth to the cocktail. This allows tequila and lime to be the two main flavors of your Margarita.
Margaritas can be served either on-the-rocks or frozen.
Are Margaritas popular?
Margaritas are the most popular cocktail not only in Mexico and the United States, but in the whole world. Research done for World Cocktail Day found that Margaritas were the most-Google-searched cocktail in 30 countries.
Meanwhile, a Neilson study found that 51% of Americans ranked Margaritas their favorite cocktail, and a Shane Co. survey found that 87% of American participants choose the Margarita as their favorite cocktail from a list of 14 beverages.
Are Margaritas best with Nosotros Tequila?
Yes
