Margarita

185,000. That’s how many Margaritas Americans drink per hour every day, according to the mega spirits and wine corporation Brown-Forman. In a recent Nielsen study, it’s also their go-to cocktail, with 60 percent claiming it as their favorite tipple.

And let’s face it—although it might not be the most exotic choice on the menu, the Margarita’s perfect sour, salty, bitter, and sweet ratio (four of the five tastes we can identify) is extremely satisfying. More important, a Margarita—no matter in what form, be it on the rocks or frozen—says, “Good times are in my future.”

Margaritas also cross social and economic divides. For example, you can serve them at almost any occasion, be it at the beach or a black-tie affair—they’re instant crowd-pleasers.

Perhaps that’s why there are 5.2 million #margarita tags on Instagram: People love to love their Margaritas. And hey, what other cocktail has its own song (Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville”) touting its ability to induce blissed-out vacation vibes?

MARGARITA MYTHS

So who’s responsible for inventing it? Welcome to the tequila-laced rabbit hole of Margarita myths and legends. In mainstream media, the Margarita first appeared in Jose Cuervo ads as early as 1945 with the tagline, “The Margarita: It’s more than just a girl’s name.” And then in 1965, it debuted in print when the Oxford English Dictionary defined the Margarita as “a cocktail made with tequila and citrus fruit juice.” However, the drink itself was probably invented in the 1930s.

We’ll start with the creation story that’s most widely accepted. In 1938, Carlos “Danny” Herrera, a bartender and restaurant owner in Tijuana, Mexico, went the extra mile for a beautiful, booze-allergic Ziegfeld girl named Marjorie King. Tequila was the only spirit she could drink without getting sick, but she didn’t like it straight up. So Herrera added lime and salt for the first Margarita.

The other legend, also female-centric, is credited to Margaret “Margarita” Sames, a Dallas socialite who claimed she mixed up the drink for friends at her villa in Acapulco in 1948. She served tequila and Cointreau. The drink’s popularity, known as “Margarita’s drink,” spread among her socialite friends, including Joseph Drown, owner of the Hotel Bel-Air, and Conrad Hilton, Jr., son of Hilton Hotel chain founder Condrad Hilton. Both began serving it in their hotel bars, and as they say, the rest is history.

MARGARITA MANIA

Another simplified explanation is the Margarita was simply a tequila riff on the Brandy Daisy cocktail, which was popular in the 19th century. The Brandy Daisy cocktail, which translates to “Brandy Margarita” in Spanish, is a basic sour recipe (spirit, citrus, and sweetener) with a splash of soda water.

Whoever actually invented the Margarita, thank you. Today, we reap the benefits of living in a Margaritamanic era with thousands of iterations on craft cocktail menus around the world: Blackberry Sage Margaritas, Mezcal Margaritas, Mojito Margaritas, Watermelon Popsicle Margaritas, Vanilla Pear Margaritas, Bacon- Infused Margaritas, Jalapeño Margaritas, and many, many more.

Try your hand at making America’s most beloved “fiesta in a glass” with this recipe:

Margarita

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ oz. blanco tequila

1 oz. Triple Sec

½ oz. freshly squeezed lime juice

Kosher salt (for glass; optional)

Lemon wedge (for garnish; optional)

PREPARATION

Salt your glass (optional). Combine ingredients in shaker filled with ice. Shake for 10 seconds and strain into cocktail glass with ice (skip the ice if you like your Margarita straight up). Garnish with lemon wedge if desired.