Margarita

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Margarita (disambiguation).

The margarita is the most common of tequila-based cocktails, made with Triple Sec (or another orange liquor such as Cointreau) and lime juice, often served with salt on the glass rim.

In other languages, margarita is the Latin word for pearl; and Spanish for the daisy flower, which is also the name of a similar cocktail.

Margarita was invented by the famous mexican singer Rigo Tovar, Arriba Matamoros, is just a popular legend.

1 Margarita variations
2 Margarita history
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Margarita variations

Common ratios for a margarita are

2:1:1 = 6:3:3 (50% tequila, 25% Triple Sec, 25% fresh lime juice).
3:2:1 = 6:4:2 (50% tequila, 33% Triple Sec, 17% fresh lime juice).
3:1:1 = 6:2:2 (60% tequila, 20% Triple Sec, 20% fresh lime juice).
1:1:1 = 6:6:6 (33% tequila, 33% Triple Sec, 33% fresh lime juice).

Some bartenders also add a small amount of water, which tends to smooth out the flavor of the three main ingredients.^{[citation needed]}

The drink is usually served either shaken with ice, on the rocks, or blended with ice, the "frozen margarita". All three are frequently served with salt on the rim of the glass. Bartenders specializing in tequila have the opinion that salt hides the inferior flavour of bad Margaritas made by not-so-good tequilas. For people who insist on a salt rim, the bartender typically only coats half the glass, so that they can still taste the drink without being obscured by the salt's taste.^{[citation needed]}

While the most common margaritas 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.^{[citation needed]}

Many consider fresh squeezed lime juice the key ingredient. 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.^{[citation needed]}

Since most bartenders and margarita experts consider froth a good thing in margaritas^{[citation needed]}, some people will add egg whites to a blended (but non-frozen) margarita in order to add more frothiness^{[citation needed]}.

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 are:

Raspberry margarita with lime juice.
Strawberry or peach margarita, with lemon juice.

[edit] Margarita history

[edit] 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.

Image:Blended Margarita.jpg

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. <ref>William K. Lombardo. The margarita chronicles: Did Danny do it?. Retrieved on 12 Aug, 2006.</ref>

Ratios: 1:1:1 = 6:6:6 (33% tequila, 33% Triple Sec, 33% fresh lime juice).

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. <ref>Brad Cooper (October 1974). "The Man Who Invented the Margarita". Texas Monthly.</ref>

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. 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.)

Ratios: 3:2:1 = 6:4:2 (50% tequila, 33% Triple Sec, 17% fresh lime juice).

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. <ref> (June 1994) "{{{title}}}". Today's Columbus Woman.</ref>

Sames used one part Cointreau, three 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.

Ratios: 3:1:1 = 6:2:2 (60% tequila, 20% Triple Sec, 20% fresh lime juice).

[edit] First margarita drinkers

Image:Marg2.jpg

According to William Grimes, author of Straight Up or On the Rocks: The Story of the American Cocktail, and regular columnist for The New York Times, there are plenty of people who recollect drinking margaritas in the 1930s, so it is safe to assume that the Margarita was not invented anytime after 1940.

The margarita cocktail was the "Drink of the Month" in Esquire magazine, December 1953, pg. 76: <ref>Barry Popik. Texas, The Lone Star State: Margarita (cocktail). Retrieved on 12 Aug, 2006.</ref>

1 ounce tequila

Dash of Triple Sec

Juice of 1/2 lime or lemon

Pour over crushed ice, stir. Rub the rim of a stem glass with rind of lemon or lime, spin in salt—pour, and sip.

[edit] First frozen margarita machine mix

The first frozen margarita machine mix was invented in 1971 for Dallas restaurant Marianos by chemist John Hogan. He was also recognized by the Smithsonian as the inventor of the frozen margarita machine. Mr. Hogan realized that pure cane sugar was the secret to obtaining a solution that would be consistent and enjoyable for the masses.