Just like Cinco de Mayo, our favorite well-known tequila and lime concoction isn’t really that big of a deal in Mexico. While it was Tijuana restaurant owner Carlos “Danny” Herrera whose obituary named him the inventor of the popular cocktail that debuted at Rancho La Gloria in 1938, others have also claimed ownership. According to Herrera’s version of the cocktail’s origins, he was inspired by a picky restaurant goer named Marjorie King. He “reinvented” thestandard tequila-salt-lime shot combination as a cocktail for her when she advised she was allergic to all spirits except tequila, but didn’t like to drink it straight. The margarita has also been credited to another Danny. Legend has it that Danny Negrete created the cocktail as a wedding gift for his sister-in-law, named Margarita, of course, and bestowed it upon her at the Garci Crespo Hotel. Rita Hayworth interestingly has a footnote in this version of the story, because Negrete worked at Agua Caliente Race Track, where budding starlet Margarita Cansino(Hayworth’s real name) often performed. Don Carlos Orozco insisted that he was the one who gave birth to the drink while tending bar in Ensenada, Mexico in 1941. It was named after Margarita Henkel, the daughter of a German ambassador, who first tasted his experimental cocktail. No matter what or where the true origin, the margarita’s popularity endures today and it remains a centerpiece of many Cinco de Mayo fiestas.
Margarita
The Perfect Margarita
Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz. tequila (blanco, 100 percent agave)
1 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 oz. Cointreau
Salt, for rimming the glass (optional)
Sliced limes for garnish
Ice
Preparation:
If using salt, place in a shallow dish. Chill your glass of choice, and then rub its rim with lime juice and dip it in coarse salt. Shake all the ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker until the exterior frosts. Strain into a glass over ice, or serve “up” into a cocktail glass. Garnish with slice of lime. Serve immediately.
Pro tips:
1. Stick to Cointreau and don’t substitute Triple Sec.
2. Use a reposado tequila for a more mellow flavor.
3. Add chili mix to the salt for rimming the glass for extra spice.
4. Adjust proportions to your taste.
Blueberry Margarita
Blueberry Margarita
Ingredients:
1/4 c. fresh blueberries
1 oz. fresh lime juice
4 oz. tequila (reposado)
1 1/2 oz. simple syrup
Few dashes orange bitters
Ice
Sugar for rimming the glass
Preparation:
Rub rim of two rocks or margarita glasses with a lime wedge. Swirl rims through a small pile of sugar. Add ice cubes to glasses. In a cocktail shaker muddle blueberries and lime juice until blueberries are pulverized. Add tequila, simple syrup, bitters and a handful of ice to shaker. Add some leftover rind from limes. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds, and strain into prepared glasses.
Spicy Margarita
Spicy Margarita Punch
Ingredients:
1 English cucumber, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
1 small jalapeño, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
1/4 c. cilantro, lightly packed
1/4 c. mint, lightly packed
1 bottle silver tequila
2 c. fresh lime juice
1 c. light agave nectar
1/2 c. fresh orange juice
Ice
lime wedges and salt, for serving
Preparation:
In a punch bowl, muddle cucumber with jalapeño, cilantro and mint. Add tequila, lime juice, agave and orange juice. Stir well. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 1 hour. Using a fine-mesh sieve, remove and discard the solids from punch. Garnish with thinly sliced cucumber and jalapeño. Serve ice and lime wedges alongside, as well as salt for rimming glasses.
