Margarita
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 21.4% ABV ∙
The Margarita is an IBA official classic of blanco tequila, triple sec and fresh lime juice, shaken and served up in a cocktail glass, often with a salt rim.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Rim the glass with salt (opt.)
- Shake all ingredients with ice: Tequila blanco 50 mlTriple sec 20 mlLime juice 15 ml
- Strain into the chilled cocktail glass
Tips
- Squeeze the lime juice just before shaking: those 15 ml carry all of the drink's tartness, so the drink is only as bright as the juice is fresh.
- Salt only half the rim so drinkers can choose a salted or clean sip.
History
The margarita's origin is not settled. Most trace its lineage to the Daisy family of drinks (margarita is Spanish for "daisy"), a 19th-century category of spirit, orange liqueur, and citrus drinks that by the 1930s was being made with tequila as the "Tequila Daisy" along the Mexican border. A 1937 British cocktail book, the Café Royal Cocktail Book by William "Billy" Tarling, included a drink nearly identical to the Margarita called the Picador. In 1939, New York bartender Charlie Connolly published a salt-rimmed Tequila Sour in his Cotton Club book of mixed drinks. Both predate the name "Margarita" by years.
Several Mexican and American bartenders have separately claimed to have invented and named the drink itself. Carlos "Danny" Herrera is said to have mixed it around 1938 or 1947-48 at his Rancho La Gloria restaurant near Tijuana, for an actress who could drink only tequila. Francisco "Pancho" Morales claimed it at Tommy's Place in Ciudad Juárez on July 4, 1942. Danny Negrete is said to have created it in 1936 in Tehuacán, Puebla, as a wedding gift for his brother's fiancée, Margarita. Bartenders at Hussong's Cantina in Ensenada date it to 1941 and tie the name to patron Margarita Henkel. Non-bartender origin stories credit Dallas socialite Margarita Sames, who is said to have mixed it for guests at her Acapulco home in 1948, an account later popularized through the Hilton hotel chain.
No single claim has been verified as definitive. The drink's modern popularity owes much to the frozen margarita machine that restaurateur Mariano Martinez built in Dallas in 1971, adapting a soft-serve ice cream machine, an invention later preserved in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
FAQ
What is a classic margarita made of?
Blanco tequila, triple sec (an orange liqueur) and fresh lime juice: 50 ml, 20 ml and 15 ml in this recipe.
What is the 3:2:1 rule for margaritas?
A common ratio guideline, usually given as 3 parts tequila, 2 parts orange liqueur and 1 part lime juice; some recipes swap the lime and the orange liqueur. It makes a Margarita easy to scale to any batch size. This recipe uses less triple sec: 50 ml tequila, 20 ml triple sec and 15 ml lime.
What are some common margarita mistakes?
Bottled lime juice or premade sour mix instead of fresh lime is the most common one; it flattens the tartness the drink depends on. Over-pouring the triple sec buries the tequila, and a short shake leaves the drink under-diluted and harsh.
Is a margarita gluten-free?
Yes. Tequila and lime juice contain no gluten, though anyone with celiac disease should check the triple sec brand for additives.
Is a margarita shaken or stirred?
Shaken. The lime juice needs the aeration and quick chill of a hard shake with ice, which stirring can't provide.
How strong is a margarita?
About 22.7% ABV, which is strong for a shaken drink; the tart lime makes it taste lighter than it is.
