Margarita

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Facts at a glance

This drink is designated as an IBA Official Cocktail
Margarita
Type:	Mixed drink
Primary alcohol by volume:	Tequila
Served:	"On the rocks"; poured over ice
Standard garnish:	salt rimmed glass, lime slice
Standard drinkware:	Cocktail glass
IBA specified ingredients†:	3.5cl (seven parts) tequila 2.0cl (four parts) Cointreau or Triple Sec 1.5cl (three parts) lemon or lime juice
Preparation:	Rub the rim of the glass with the lime slice to make the salt stick to it. Shake the other ingredients with ice, then carefully pour into the glass (taking care not to dislodge any salt). Garnish and serve over ice.

The margarita is the most common of tequila-based cocktails, made with Triple Sec or Cointreau or other orange-flavored liqueurs, and lime or lemon juice, often served with salt on the glass rim. Silver or blanco tequilas are preferred for margaritas, though some will use reposados or 'gold' tequilas.

In other languages, margarita is the Latin word for pearl; and Spanish for the daisy flower, which is also the name of a different cocktail.

Contents 1 Variations 2 History 2.1 Who created the margarita? 2.2 First margarita drinkers 2.3 First frozen margarita machine mix 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Variations

Common ratios for a margarita are

• 2:1:1 = 6:3:3 (50% tequila, 25% Triple Sec or Cointreau, 25% fresh lime or lemon juice).
• 3:2:1 = 6:4:2 (50% tequila, 33% Triple Sec or Cointreau, 17% fresh lime or lemon juice).
• 3:1:1 = 6:2:2 (60% tequila, 20% Triple Sec or Cointreau, 20% fresh lime or lemon juice).
• 1:1:1 = 6:6:6 (33% tequila, 33% Triple Sec or Cointreau, 33% fresh lime or lemon juice).

Some bartenders also add a small amount of water, which tends to smooth out the flavor of the three main ingredients.

The drink is usually served shaken with ice, on the rocks, or blended with ice (the "frozen margarita"). All three methods are frequently served with salt on the rim of the glass. Some bartenders specializing in tequila have the opinion that salt hides the flavor of bad Margaritas made with inferior tequilas.^{[citation needed]} For people who insist on a salt rim, the bartender typically only coats half the glass or offers a straw, so that they can still taste the drink without being obscured by the salt's taste.^{[citation needed]}

While the most common margaritas contain tequila, orange liqueur, lime or lemon juice, and sometimes an additional sweetener, such as simple syrup, many variations are becoming more and more common. Bottled lime juice (which contains sugar) is another method used to add sweetness.

Other than Triple Sec or Cointreau, other types of orange-flavored liqueur are sometimes used, such as Patrón Citrónge, or the Blue Curaçao, yielding the blue margarita. The "grand", "royal", or "Cadillac" margarita often contains Grand Marnier. Often, when sweeter fruit juices or freshly muddled fruits are added to the margarita, the amount of orange-flavored liqueur is often reduced or it is eliminated entirely.

Many consider fresh squeezed lime juice the key ingredient, but fresh-squeezed lemon juice may be used and, because lemons are more consistent and sweet, is often less bitter. The most common lime in the U.S. are the thick skinned Persian limes. However, margaritas in Mexico are generally made with Mexican limes (Key limes). These are small, thin skinned limes and have a more tart and an often bitter flavor compared to Persian limes. Meyer lemons may be used for a sweeter taste as well.

Since some bartenders and margarita experts consider froth a good thing in margaritas, some people will add egg whites to a blended (but non-frozen) margarita in order to add more frothiness^{[citation needed]}.

Alternate fruit juice mixtures can also be used in a margarita. When the word "margarita" is used by itself, it typically refers to the lime or lemon juice margarita. But when other juices are used, the fruits are typically added as adjectives in the name, with lime juice or lemon juice added like a condiment (and a wedge of lime often added to the glass). Examples of popular combinations are:

• Raspberry margarita with lime juice.
• Strawberry or peach margarita, with lemon juice.

[edit] History

[edit] Who created the margarita?

There are many stories about who invented the margarita and why. The following four are perhaps the most commonly repeated tales of the creator of the margarita cocktail.

Danny Negrete, 1936

• Ratios: 1:1:1 = 6:6:6 (33% tequila, 33% Triple Sec, 33% fresh lime juice).

According to Salvador Negrete, the son of Daniel Negrete, the family story goes that Daniel opened a bar at the Garci Crispo hotel with his brother, David. The day before David's marriage, Daniel presented the margarita as a wedding present to Margarita, his sister-in-law.

It was a combination of one-third Triple Sec, one-third tequila and one-third squeezed Mexican lime juice. The drink was not blended and was served with hand-crushed ice. ^[1]

Francisco "Pancho" Morales, 4th of July, 1942

In El Paso, Texas, a bartender, Pancho Morales invented the margarita on July 4, 1942, at a Juárez, Mexico bar named Tommy's Place. Supposedly, a woman requested a Magnolia (brandy, Cointreau, and an egg yolk topped with Champagne). Morales was a little fuzzy on the recipe; he improvised and his ersatz creation was a big hit. ^[2]

Carlos "Danny" Herrera, 1938

• Ratios: 3:2:1 = 6:4:2 (50% tequila, 33% Triple Sec, 17% fresh lime juice).

Carlos "Danny" Herrera mixed a jigger of white tequila with lemon juice and Triple Sec, creating a smooth and salty concoction he named "margarita", in October/November of 1938

The bar was Rancho La Gloria, midway on the old road that connected Tijuana with Rosarito Beach. A showgirl and sometime actress who called herself Marjorie King/Rita De La Rosa (she regularly played piano in and around San Diego at the Del Cornado Hotel and Del Mar, just to name a few) was one of the customers. She was allergic to all hard liquor, except for tequila, but she didn't like to drink it straight or even with a lemon and salt.

Mr. Herrera started experimenting and came up with a concoction that was three parts white tequila, two parts Cointreau and one part fresh lemon juice. He added shaved ice and blended the mixture with a hand shaker. This is the most provable, and well known account, through research, and traceable extended family members (Daughter Jeanie Mackay, Eugene Oregon, and son Townsend King Jr.of Ramona Calif.)

Margaret Sames, December 1948

• Ratios: 2:1:1 = 4:2:2 (50% tequila, 25% Triple Sec, 25% fresh lime juice).

Sames, who created the drink at her Acapulco bar, gave the reason of being "close with a lot of famous hotel and restaurant people" in introducing the margarita. ^[3]

Sames used one part Cointreau, two parts tequila and one part lime juice for her margarita. Knowing that most people drank tequila preceded by a lick of salt, she chose to garnish her cocktail with a rim of coarse salt.

Sames moved to El Paso, TX in 1958 where she was well known for her lavish parties. In 1982 she appeared on NBC's Today show demonstrating the proper way to make a margarita.

[edit] First margarita drinkers

According to William Grimes, author of Straight Up or On the Rocks: The Story of the American Cocktail, and regular columnist for The New York Times, there are plenty of people who recollect drinking margaritas in the 1930s, so it is safe to assume that the Margarita was not invented anytime after 1940.^{[verification needed]}

The margarita cocktail was the "Drink of the Month" in Esquire magazine, December 1953, pg. 76: ^[4]

1 ounce tequila

Dash of Triple Sec

Juice of 1/2 lime or lemon

Pour over crushed ice, stir. Rub the rim of a stem glass with rind of lemon or lime, spin in salt—pour, and sip.

[edit] First frozen margarita machine mix

The first frozen margarita machine mix was invented in 1971 for Dallas restaurant Marianos by chemist John Hogan. He was also recognized by the Smithsonian as the inventor of the frozen margarita machine. Mr. Hogan realized that pure cane sugar was the secret to obtaining a solution that would be consistent and enjoyable for the masses.^[5]

[edit] See also

• List of cocktails
• Margaritaville
• Non-alcoholic mixed drinks

[edit] References

1. ^ William K. Lombardo. The margarita chronicles: Did Danny do it?. Retrieved on 12 Aug, 2006.
2. ^ Brad Cooper (October 1974). "The Man Who Invented the Margarita". Texas Monthly. 
3. ^ (June 1994) "{{{title}}}". Today's Columbus Woman. 
4. ^ Barry Popik. Texas, The Lone Star State: Margarita (cocktail). Retrieved on 12 Aug, 2006.
5. ^ http://houstonpress.com/2006-11-16/news/viva-la-margarita/2

[edit] External links

• Margarita recipe at DrinkBoy
• The Correct Danny Negrete Story.
• Thinking Bartender Dot Com - Margarita: More than a girl's name