Margarita

Cocktail Icons, series 1

(set of 10)

Recipe

  • 2 oz. tequila

  • ¾ oz. orange liqueur

  • ¾ oz. lime juice

  • ¼ oz. simple syrup

Preparation

  • Rub lime wedge on glass rim and roll in coarse salt

  • Shake ingredients with ice

  • Strain into chilled rocks glass

  • Garnish with lime wedge

Variations

IBA Recipe¹

  • 50 ml Tequila 100% Agave

  • 20 ml Triple Sec

  • 15 ml Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice

Lore

Origin: ca. 1930s

Creator: Mr. Madden in Tijuana, Mexico²

An Irish bartender named Madden was serving a drink called the Tequila Daisy in Tijuana in the 1930s. (The Daisy cocktail dates back to the 1880s and was often made with brandy.³) Madden shared with a visiting newspaper man from Iowa in 1936 that he had once grabbed the wrong bottle and made a Daisy with tequila and it was a big hit. The Spanish word for daisy is margarita and that's how the drink got its name. This story is not definitive and there are many other origin stories for the drink.⁴

Links & References

  1. IBA Margarita. https://iba-world.com/margarita/

  2. Wondrich, D. (2021, November 24). Tequila Daisy. Liquor.com. https://www.liquor.com/recipes/tequila-daisy/

  3. Johnson, H. (1888). New and Improved Illustrated Bartender’s Manual: Or How to Mix Drinks of the Present Style. I. Goldmann.

  4. Zavatto, A. (2020, September 17). The History and Secrets of the Margarita. Liquor.com. https://www.liquor.com/articles/worlds-best-margarita/