The Margarita cocktail is considered one of the most popular in the world. The main ingredient used in it is — tequila, the national Mexican strong alcoholic drink. All the stories behind the creation of this cocktail — these are almost legends, but each of them features the same female name — Margarita. The birth of the Margarita cocktail is attributed to the period between 1930 and 1950.
For the first time, a cocktail with tequila, lime and a salt crust around the edges of the glass was described in 1937 in the collection of the first president of the International Bartenders Association, William J. Tarling, Café Royal Cocktail Book and was called «Picador». However, the most popular version of the origin is somewhat different. It is believed that the cocktail was invented by Acapulco bar manager Margarita Seims in 1948 on the occasion of a reception to which Tommy Hilton, owner of Hilton Hotels, was invited. Hilton liked the cocktail so much that he included it in the bar menu of his hotels and named it after the author.
According to another version, the owner of the Rancho La Gloria restaurant in Tijuana, Carlos «Danny» Herrera claimed that he invented the drink in 1938, first preparing it for a dancer named Marjorie King. According to another version, the author is bartender Don Carlos Orozco from Ensenada, who in 1941 first prepared a cocktail for Margarita Henkel, the daughter of the German ambassador to Mexico. In addition, Francisco «Pancho» claims authorship. Morales, who worked at Tommy's Place Bar in El Paso in 1942.
More one story — that one bartender suffered from poor memory. The visitor ordered him a Magnolia cocktail, which includes Brandy, Cointreau, egg yolk and champagne. The forgetful bartender only remembered Cointreau and made the creative decision to add tequila and lime juice. The visitor liked the cocktail, and the bartender named the cocktail after another flower — «Margarita». But the most romantic legend claims that the cocktail was created at the Agua Caliente bar in Tijuana in honor of the American dancer Margarita Carmen Cansino, better known as Rita Hayworth in her future life, who performed there.
We will never know the true history and date of creation of the Margarita, but its recipe is suspiciously reminiscent of the recipe for the forgotten Daisy julep (which translates as «daisy»), where the base is a combination of strong alcohol, orange liqueur and lemon juice. The main thing is that its basis — tequila, which means homeland — Mexico.
In 1952, a description of the cocktail in its modern form appeared in the supplement to Esquire magazine under the name «Margarita». The special wide cocktail glass, as we know it today, arose much later than the drink itself — Margarita was originally poured into a “champagne saucer.” And the Margarita glass owes its shape not to a woman’s breast, but to a special container for serving guacamole sauce. Today Margarita takes pride of place in any bar menu and has a lot of variations.
Ingredients:
- Tequila or mezcal — 50 ml;
- Cointreau liqueur or any triple sec («triple dry», orange liqueur) — 20 ml;
- Lime juice — 15 ml;
- Lime wedge for garnish.
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The ratio of tequila, liquor and juice can vary widely, but the classic ratio is 2:1:2 — This proportion is considered more harmonious in taste; the individual components of the cocktail are not felt in it. But the company «Cointreau» recommends a ratio of 2:1:1.
All ingredients are mixed in a shaker with ice, after which the cocktail is carefully filtered from ice, pulp and lime through a sieve into a wide, chilled cocktail glass, the rim of which is wrapped in salt. First, the edge of the glass needs to be dipped in lime juice, then in salt, which, when added to the cocktail, will add piquancy to it. For those who prefer: salt can be mixed with red pepper.
The Margarita cocktail has many variations. By replacing Cointreau orange liqueur with liqueurs of different flavors and colors, they get «blue» Margarita (with curacao liqueur), peach, strawberry, pineapple, etc. Beat the ingredients with crushed ice in a mixer to get a «frozen margarita». It is often possible to find all kinds of fruit margaritas when fruit is added to the cocktail — strawberries, peach, melon, pre-chopped in a blender.