Margarita
Origin
Origin contested. The most-cited claim credits Carlos 'Danny' Herrera at Rancho La Gloria near Tijuana c. 1938; Francisco 'Pancho' Morales (Tommy's Place, Juárez, 1942) and Santos Cruz (Balinese Room, Galveston, 1948) also have documented claims. Wondrich notes the drink is structurally a Tequila Daisy ('margarita' is Spanish for daisy).
Variations
- Spicy MargaritaMuddle jalapeño slices before shaking
- Mezcal MargaritaSwap tequila for mezcal for a smoky version
- Tommy's MargaritaReplace triple sec with agave syrup
Related guides
Agave Spirits
Tequila, mezcal, and their cousins: what the labels mean and which bottles to buy.
Bitters and Modifiers
What each bitter and modifier does to a cocktail, and which of the small bottles to buy first.
Food Pairing: What to Drink With What
A cocktail-pairing framework: match weight, mirror sweetness, use bitterness, cut fat with acid, and know the combinations that actually work.
Garnish Like You Mean It
Twists, wedges, rims, and cherries: what each garnish actually does, when to use it, and what to skip.
Home Bar Setup: What to Buy at $200, $500, and $1000
Tiered shopping lists at $200, $500, and $1000, the drinks each tier unlocks, and the orphan bottles to skip.
Hosting: Cocktails for People Who Have Other Things to Do
A working host's playbook. Batch the stirred drinks, pre-portion the citrus, and stop trying to bartend through your own dinner party.
Mocktails Without the Sad-Soda Energy
Why removing alcohol breaks a drink, the four levers that fix it, which NA spirits are worth buying, and templates that translate.