I’ve just watched a CNN report on the global heat crisis. We’re lucky, here in my part of the world, to be suffering only a slightly hotter than normal summer. So far, anyway. In celebration, I propose to provide a brief history of the Margarita along with the original, classic recipe…
A Frozen Margarita: Most popular of the many contemporary variants…
“Some people say there’s a woman to blame,” the immortal Jimmy Buffet sang back in 1977. But none of it was his own damned fault, or that of any true Margarita lover. The truth is, this once-simple, iconic, noble sub-tropical quencher has been diminished, its identity blurred by generations of ‘innovators’.
Let’s take a few moments to honour the Margarita. And attempt to polish up its somewhat tarnished reputation!
Did you know…
The Margarita is America’s favourite cocktail. And has been since Nielsen started surveying consumer preferences in tipple in 2016? It narrowly beat The Martini, The Old-Fashioned, The Mimosa and The Moscow Mule for the crown.
The world’s biggest Margarita was mixed for the grand opening of the Flamingo Hotel’s Margaritaville Casino in Las Vegas in 2011. The ‘Lucky Rita’ came in at 8,500 gallons (32,176 liters) and was ‘served’ in a 17-foot-tall tank. It took 60 bartenders and assistants 300 hours to create.
According to Mental Floss: “The salt is there to bring out the sweet and sour flavors of the drink. Even just a pinch will help subdue the bitterness and enhance the important flavors. On top of this, salt intensifies the drinker’s perception of the drink’s aromas, making the flavors even more powerful.”
The Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance and Tucson Original Restaurants will partner to host the World Margarita Championship this coming August 22. The event is described as, “an unforgettable evening of spirited cocktail competitions, tastings of world class Margaritas and tequilas, cuisine of the southwest, and more.”
How it all began…
One of the most popular of the Margarita origin stories claims that Carlos ‘Danny’ Herrera, a barkeep in Tijuana, invented the drink in 1938. He is said have named it after Ziegfeld Follies dancer Marjorie King, who drank tequila exclusively. She apparently claimed she was allergic to all other distilled spirits.
Another story says head bartender Santos Cruz of the Balinese Room in Galveston, Texas created the Margarita for his favourite singer, Peggy (Margaret) Lee. She was a friend and regular customer of his.
Either way, ‘Margarita’ is Spanish for ‘daisy’. That’s cute and whimsical – not to mention just a touch romantic.
What is it?
Wikipedia describes the beverage officially as, “a cocktail consisting of tequila, orange liqueur, and lime juice often served with salt on the rim of the glass. The drink is served shaken with ice (on the rocks), blended with ice (frozen margarita), or without ice (straight up). The drink is generally served in a stepped-diameter variant of a cocktail glass or champagne coupe called a Margarita glass.”
While there are many variations on the drink today, the only authentic one is made from Tequila and lime juice, classically with ‘a dash of Triple Sec’.
Back to basics…
We have selected three out of hundreds of recipes that claim to be the official Margarita formula. They are very similar, and all three appeared quite early in the Margarita’s history. If you are a hard-case Margarita lover, you may say the recipes that call for Tripe Sec have an edge over the others. You may also insist that the versions with the most lime juice are superior to those specifying less. Over ice? In crushed ice? Straight up? You have our permission to debate the pros and cons among yourselves all night – over Margaritas.
The official recipe, according to the International Bartenders’ Association, calls for 10 parts Tequila, 4 parts Triple Sec and 3 parts freshly squeezed lime juice. The combo is shaken with ice and strained into an appropriate glass over fresh ice cubes.
Cointreau, a competitor Orange Brandy to Triple Sec, insists you use 10 parts Tequila, 5 parts Cointreau and 2 parts fresh lime juice.
The recipe published in Esquire magazine in December, 1953, when the Margarita was the Drink of the Month, is less clinical and more user friendly: “1 oz. [28.4 ml] Tequila, a dash of Triple Sec, Juice of half a lime. Pour over crushed ice, stir. Rub the rim of a stem glass with rind of […] lime, spin in salt – pour, and sip.”
My wish for you…
Many aficionados say the almost universal appeal of the Margarita can be chalked up to its perfect flavour marriage of sweet, sour and salt. Whatever the magic may be, I wish you all the same perfection in your summertime sipping.
Cheers!
~ Maggie J.