The basic Margarita, extensively thought-about the preferred cocktail on this planet, is an easy mixture of blanco tequila, orange liqueur, and freshly squeezed lime juice, usually with an added sweetening factor resembling agave syrup, and an non-obligatory salted rim.
The Margarita is essentially the most recognizable instance of a bitter cocktail, an in depth class of drinks that balances a base spirit with citrus and a candy element. Different examples embody the Gimlet, Daiquiri, Pisco Bitter, and the Lemon Drop.
Although essentially the most well-known tequila cocktail is acknowledged worldwide, its origins are much less clear.
One story tells of the drink having been created within the Thirties in honor of film star Rita Hayworth, who, born as Margarita Carmen Cansino, carried out as a teen in nightclubs along with her father in Tijuana, Mexico.
One other story, set once more in Tijuana throughout the ’30s, credit bartender Carlos “Danny” Herrera for creating the drink for visitor Marjorie King, a Ziegfeld Follies showgirl “allergic” to all exhausting liquor besides tequila. As a result of she didn’t just like the style of the agave spirit, Herrera mixed it with citrus juice and triple sec in a salt-rimmed glass.
Competing tales proliferated by means of the years, however the drink’s origins actually start with its star ingredient: tequila. Throughout Prohibition, from 1920–33, many Individuals headed to Mexico searching for authorized alcohol. Tijuana, a preferred vacation spot for Californians particularly, had near 150 ingesting institutions. Tequila gained swift reputation amongst the expat friends, and bartenders started to experiment with tequila-based cocktails.
It’s extensively thought that the Daisy — a class of cocktails that dates to the mid-1800s and usually combines a spirit, citrus juice, sweetening factor, and splash of soda — was the precursor to the Margarita. Because the Spanish phrase for “daisy” is “margarita,” and the cocktail’s construct is strikingly related, it is doubtless that the tequila variation of the drink could be a detailed relation.
Why the Margarita works
The magic of sour-style cocktails is the strain between the spirit and the exact stability of candy and bitter. Although that good stability will be subjective, the overall template to comply with is 2 elements base spirit, one half candy, and one half bitter.
Some basic Margarita recipes lean on the orange liqueur as the only sweetening agent within the cocktail, calling for a similar quantity because the lime juice. Agave syrup is a well-liked choice to additional sweeten the drink and to intensify the earthy and vegetal traits in a high quality tequila. The Tommy’s Margarita, a contemporary basic developed within the Nineties, omits the orange liqueur fully in favor of pure agave nectar. Many trendy builds, such because the one under, break up the distinction by together with each agave and orange liqueur to include the very best of each worlds.
As a result of so few elements are concerned on this easy basic, make sure that to make use of a tequila constituted of 100% blue Weber agave, recent lime juice, and a well-made orange liqueur resembling Cointreau. The non-obligatory kosher salt rim offers a savory distinction to the sweetness and acts as a taste enhancer for the drink, all whereas including a textural expertise whereas ingesting.