Margarita Recipes

Margarita Locations

Margarita Mavens' History of the Margarita

Then there's the account of Francisco "Pancho" Morales of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico (across the border from El Paso, Texas) pouring the first one on July 4, 1942. Morales (1919-1997), the man that Mexico widely credits with inventing a smooth tequila-based cocktail renowned for its potent kick, called the Margarita.

The legend says, he was working in Tommy's Bar, when a woman came in and asked for a "Magnolia", but he couldn't remember exactly how to make it, so, he whipped up a cocktail of tequila, cointreau and lime juice.

The woman loved it and asked Morales what the drink was called. He named it the "Daisy" which in Mexican is Margarita.

Several people have proclaimed themselves the inventor of the Margarita over the years, although many experts and Mexico's officials news agency Notimex said Morales had the strongest claim to fame.

Morales never patented the drink and made no money from it. He later emigrated to the United States and worked as a milkman for 25 years before retiring in 1981. But he never forgot how to make and shake a good cocktail.

And yet another source tells us that Red Hinton, a bartender in Virginia City named it after his girlfriend (Margarita Mendez) who hit someone over the head with a whiskey bottle & died in the crossfire that pursued. No matter what it's origin, we're glad it's here!

Other variations of it's origin include:

• Sometime in the 1940's, Enrique Bastante Gutierez created this drink for Rita Hayworth, who's real name was Margarita.

• In 1948 Margaret Sames created this drink for a party she was holding in Acapulco.

• In 1948 it was created in Galveston, Texas by Santos Cruz. Who mixed it up for singer Peggy Lee.

• In the early 1950's It was created at the "Tail o' the Cock" restaurant in Los Angeles in order to find a way to introduce Jose Cuervo tequila into the market.