Tequila
Choosing the right
tequila is the key to creating the perfect
margarita recipe. Knowing the different types and
how they are made can lead to improving the
overall taste of your margaritas.
Tequila is required
to be at least 51% agave. In this type of
tequila, the remainder is usually sugarcane.
Premium tequila has the best taste and quality.
It is made with 100% blue agave juices and must
be distilled and bottled in Mexico. "Tequila
100% de Agave" or "Tequila 100% puro de Agave" must
comply with strict Mexican government
regulations.
Types
of Tequila
 
Blanco
(Silver)
This tequila is not aged.
Its appearance is clear and transparent. It is bottled immediately after the distillation
process
Oro (Gold)
This tequila is generally not aged.
Ingredients include 51% agave and 49% sugar
alcohol. Caramel,
fructose, glycerin and wood flavoring
are usually added to simulate aging. This is typically the
type of tequila found in frozen margaritas.
Añejo (Aged)
It is Blanco tequila
that has been aged in white oak casks for
more than a year but less than 3 years.
Ingredients include 100% agave. The amber color and
woody flavor are picked up from the oak.
Reposado (Rested)
It is
Blanco that has been kept in white
oak casks from 2 to 11 months. Ingredients
include 100% agave.
Margarita Variations
While the most
common margarita recipes contain tequila, Triple Sec,
lime juice, and an additional sweetener, such as
simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water), many
variations are becoming more and more common.
Often, Triple Sec is replaced with other types
of orange-flavored liqueur, such as Patrón
Citrónge, or the Blue Curaçao, yielding the blue
margarita. The "grand", "royal", or "Cadillac"
margarita often contains Grand Marnier.
Oftentimes, when sweeter fruit juices or freshly
muddled fruits are added to the margarita, the
amount of Triple Sec is often reduced or it is
eliminated entirely.
Many consider fresh squeezed lime juice the key
ingredient to their margarita recipes. The most common lime in the U.S. are
the thick skinned Persian limes. However,
margaritas in Mexico are generally made with
Mexican limes (Key limes). These are small, thin
skinned limes and have a more tart and an often
bitter flavor compared to Persian limes.
Since most bartenders and margarita experts
consider froth a good thing in margaritas, some
people will add egg whites to a blended (but
non-frozen) margarita in order to add more
frothiness.
Alternate fruit juice mixtures can also be used
in a margarita. When the word "margarita" is
used by itself, it typically refers to the lime
juice margarita. But when other juices are used,
the fruits are typically added as adjectives in
the name, with lime juice or lemon juice added
like a condiment (and a wedge of lime often
added to the glass). Examples of popular
combinations for margarita recipes are:
Raspberry margarita
with lime juice.
Strawberry or peach
margarita, with lemon juice.
History of the Margarita
Who Created the Margarita?
There are many stories about who invented the
margarita and why. The following four are
perhaps the most commonly repeated tales of the
creator of the margarita cocktail.
Danny Negrete, 1936 
According to
Salvador Negrete, the son of Daniel Negrete, the
family story goes that Daniel opened a bar at
the Garci Crispo hotel with his brother, David.
The day before David's marriage, Daniel
presented the margarita as a wedding present to
Margarita, his sister-in-law.
It was a combination of one-third Triple Sec,
one-third tequila and one-third squeezed Mexican
lime juice. The drink was not blended and was
served with hand-crushed ice.
Francisco "Pancho" Morales, 4th of July, 1942
In El Paso,
Texas, a bartender, Pancho Morales invented the
margarita on July 4, 1942, at a Juárez, Mexico
bar named Tommy's Place. Supposedly, a woman
requested a Magnolia (brandy, Cointreau, and an
egg yolk topped with Champagne). Morales was a
little fuzzy on the recipe; he improvised and
his ersatz creation was a big hit.
Carlos "Danny" Herrera, 1938
Carlos "Danny" Herrera mixed a jigger of white
tequila with lemon juice and Triple Sec,
creating a smooth and salty concoction he named
"margarita", in October/November of 1938
The
bar was Rancho La Gloria,midway on the old road
that connected Tijuana with Rosarito Beach. A
showgirl and sometime actress who called herself
Marjorie King (she regularly played piano in and
around San Diego at the Del Cornado Hotel and
Del Mar, just to name a few) was one of the
customers. No stay in America's Finest City is ever complete without sampling the
fun and excitement offered by the
San
Diego nightlife first. She was allergic to all hard liquor,
except for tequila, but she didn't like to drink
it straight or even with a lemon and salt.
Mr. Herrera started
experimenting and came up with a concoction that
was three parts white tequila, two parts
Cointreau and one part fresh lemon juice. He
added shaved ice and blended the mixture with a
hand shaker. This is the most provable, and well
known account, through research, and tracable
extended family members (Daughter Jeanie Mackay,
Eugene Oregon, and son Townsend King Jr.of
Ramona Calif.)
Margaret
Sames, December 1948
Sames, who created the drink at her Acapulco
bar, gave the reason of being "close with a lot
of famous hotel and restaurant people" in
introducing the margarita.
Sames used one
part Cointreau, two parts tequila and one part
lime juice for her margarita. Knowing that most
people drank tequila preceded by a lick of salt,
she chose to garnish her cocktail with a rim of
coarse salt.
Sames moved to El Paso, TX in 1958 where she was
well known for her lavish parties. In 1982 she
appeared on NBC's Today show demonstrating the
proper way to make a margarita.
Santos Cruz, 1948
The legendary Balinese Room in
Galveston, Texas, head bartender Santos Cruz created the Margarita
for singer Peggy (Margaret) Lee in 1948. The Balinese Room was
opened in 1941 and was Texas's finest nightclub with A/C, casino
gambling, superb food and drinks, and stellar entertainment.
First Frozen Margarita Machine
The first
frozen margarita machine was invented on May 11,
1971 by Dallas
restaurateur Mariano Martinez. The machine was
originally a soft-serve ice cream machine and
now sits in the Smithsonian National Museum of
History.
Smithsonian Press
Release
Viva la Margarita! -
Interview with the Creator
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