In honor of today being National Margarita Day, here’s a big serving of some rather arcane history of what many identify as our county’s most popular cocktail – the Margarita.
Attempting to track down the history of the Margarita cocktail, as with just about any and everything these days, leads to host of information, not all of which is in agreement. Consensus appears to grant credit for creation of the cocktail to Dallas socialite Margaret “Margarita” Sames in 1948, while on Christmas holiday in Mexico.
From (an alleged) interview with Ms. Sames published in the San Antonio Express News in 1994 –
Margarita and her husband, Bill, invited some friends from Dallas to visit them in Acapulco. Their cliffside hacienda was under construction, so they borrowed a home from a local friend, with luxurious grounds and a pool with a swimming bar. Sames wanted to make a refreshing drink that could be enjoyed poolside before lunch. “After all, a person can only drink so many beers or so many Bloody Marys, or screwdrivers or whatever,” she said. “I wanted to make up a new drink.”
Margarita had initially tried to invent a rum drink, inspired by her visits to Cuba, but had no success. Tequila was her favorite spirit, so she turned there. Having tasted and enjoyed the orange-based French liqueur Cointreau, she decided to combine the two.
At the time, she said, there were no mixed drinks using tequila, which was served in classic style in a shot glass, with salt and a slice of lime.
Mrs. Sames’ mixology attempts were not immediately successful.
“I was pushed into the swimming pool quite a few times because some of those first drinks were so bad,” she recalled.
As she experimented with various combinations of tequila and Cointreau, they were either too sweet or too sour. Eventually she found a recipe that suited her, with lime juice used to balance the alcohol and a light dusting of salt on the glass rim to add pizzazz.
Over the years, Bill and Margarita served the drink to their guests, referring to it as “The Drink” or “Margarita’s Drink.” After Bill gave Margarita a set of champagne glasses etched with her name, the drink got its final name. The cocktail recipe was spread by some of the couple’s friends and guests, who included hotelier Nick Hilton, Tail O’ the Cock owner Shelton McHenry, Hotel Bel-Air owner Joseph Drown, movie stars Lana Turner and John Wayne, and other world travelers who subsequently served the drink in their hotels and restaurants.
While Mrs. Sames is confident that her recipe was the first incarnation of the Margarita, Eric Felten cites a recipe called the Picador, published in 1937 in London in the Cafe Royal Cocktail Book. It is made of tequila, Cointreau and lime juice (no salt). The first appearance in print of a drink actually called “Margarita” is the December 1953 issue of Esquire magazine. This gives credence to Margarita Sames’ 1948 invention; it gives time for the private home recipe to germinate through the influence of famous friends…
The Original Recipe
Margarita Sames’ Original Recipe (transcribed from a talk show interview in the early 1990s by Randi Reed, editor in chief of the website MusicBizAdvice.com):
First, you must use a good tequila—one that is authentic, made in Jalisco, Mexico. I prefer a white tequila, not any of this gold stuff.”
No blenders ever. Shake it or stir the drink in a pitcher. Do not strain.
Use Cointreau, not the less expensive and less flavorful Triple Sec.
The original Margarita recipe: 3 jiggers tequila, “or you can do 2,” 1 jigger Cointreau and 1 jigger lime juice.
‘Nuff said. Cheers.
