The Secret Story Behind a Margarita

The origins of the most stereotypical Mexican cocktail is a mystery: Most people dream about something really fancy or even adventurous behind its making, but the reality of it’s background might come from a more down to earth point of view. The first story I heard regarding was one about Carlos “Danny” Herrera, back in 1938, in the middle of Tijuana and Rosarito, at his restaurant Rancho La Gloria. According to this story, the Margarita was fabricated to solve a problem: customer and dancer, Marjorie King was allergic to many liquors but not to Tequila, therefore as the liked to drink it but the taste was too strong to take it straight, he took the stereotypical ingredients of a shot and whipped it into a Margarita.

But this isn’t the only claim to the title “Margarita Creator”: A Dallas socialité named Margarita Sames claimed that she made the drink with her friends while in Acapulco in 1948, and her friend Tommy Hilton, owner of a hotel chains, placed the drink at the bars of the Hilton Hotels. But Jose Cuervo tequila brand also claimed the title for himself by the fact that he had already started to use a marketing campaign with the slogan “Margarita: It’s more than a girl’s name” since 1945. In Ensenada, Mexico, a bartender named Carlos Orozco claimed he named the drink in honor to Margarita Henkel, the daughter of a German ambassador that wanted to taste the concoction he was fabricating back in 1941. Danny Negrete also said that he was the sole inventor: The drink was a wedding gift for Margarita, his sister-in-law.

Even a non-Mexican origin is named: The latinization of the drink “Daisy” that was popular during Prohibition. There are only a few slightly differences: The American is made with Brandy and the Mexican with Tequila. The modern mixture is made with Tequila, triple sec or Cointreau, and lime, in a salt rimmed glass, and the different variations go from frozen, with orange, to adding a bit of sugar on the bottom and so on. Regardless of how you do it, the result is always the same: A bar staple and a perfect drink.   

I can tell you many more tales and claims behind the title of “Margarita Creator”, but the only thing that I’m sure of is that this drink's popularity comes from the punch and flavour that represents a whole culture. So if you want to try an excellent Margarita, I highly recommend RG Cocina Mexicana’s. Don’t forget to use the code RGSummerDelivery to get a special discount on your orders’ delivery!