Happy Hour: Margaritas, with a Twist
Caborita
2009-05-15
By Charlotte Lyons
It’s unclear exactly just who invented the Margarita and when, although there are several different stories circulating concerning its origin. While no one has been able to pinpoint which one is true, one popular story involves socialite Margaret Sames. In 1948, she mixed tequila, Cointreau and lime juice, and served the concoction to her guests during a Christmas party at her Mexican vacation home in Acapulco. Everyone raved about the drink, which kept the party going for two weeks. During the second week, her husband said that she could not keep calling her concoction “the drink.”
He renamed the drink “the margarita,” which combines the Spanish words for his wife’s name and the daisy flower.
Another version of the story involves a showgirl named Marjorie King, who was allergic to all alcohol, except tequila. In 1938, she was visiting the Rancho Del Gloria Bar in Rosarita Beach, Mexico, when she asked the bartender to make her a cocktail with tequila. Bartender named Danny Herrera mixed together tequila, lime juice and triple sec. He later named the drink after the Spanish equivalent of Marjorie’s name. Whatever the origin, the margarita cocktail quickly spread throughout America during the 1960s when it became a staple in Mexican restaurants. The classic margarita is made with just three key ingredients: tequila, lime juice and orange liqueur. Add in some ice and served in a salt rimmed glass, and you’re good.
This wonderful cocktail has suffered since its conception with premixing in large mechanical ice cream freezers, artificial ingredients, and the most inexpensive margarita mix that a bar can buy I’m a fan of the basics in a drink, and since so many new premium tequila brands lend themselves to sipping straight or on the rocks, you are on your own when it comes to mixing an $80 bottle of tequila with juice and paper umbrellas. It’s a travesty to the true rendition of the margarita, which most people have never tasted. Here’s a collection of my favorite margarita recipes you can make this summer.
 | Caborita 2 oz. Cabo Wabo Reposado Tequila
2 oz. Lime Juice, freshly squeezed
1 oz. Triple Sec Combine all in a shaker half-filled with ice. Shake well and strain into a salt rimmed martini glass *when available please use Tommy's Margarita Mix in lieu of Lime Juice and Triple Sec |
