Name: The Original Margarita
Total time: 4 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 30 ml Triple sec; 50 ml Blanco tequila; 20 ml Lime juice

The Original Margarita
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Serve in an Old-fashioned glass

Ingredients:
1 oz	Cointreau triple sec liqueur
1 ²⁄₃ oz	Patrón Silver blanco tequila
²⁄₃ oz	Lime juice (freshly squeezed)

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

Select and pre-chill an Old-fashioned glass.
Prepare garnish of rim glass with lime juice and sea salt before making cocktail. Add a lime wheel slice to finished drink..
SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
STRAIN into ice-filled glass.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Review:

There's debate as to who created the original Margarita recipe and when with a Dallas socialite called Margarita Sames most often credited (see below). However, there is universal acceptance that the recipe comprised just three ingredients: tequila, Cointreau triple sec, and lime juice.

The classic proportions, dating back to 1937, are 2oz (60ml) tequila, 1oz (30ml) Cointreau, and 1oz (30ml) lime juice. The recipe we've adopted slightly reduces the proportion of tequila and sour lime juice to the rich liqueur to create a better-balanced cocktail. Depending on your palate you may still want to add a teaspoon of agave syrup in addition to the three "original" ingredients.

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Variant:

Difford's Margarita On-The-Rocks recipe with agave syrup and Margarita bitters

History:

The first written reference to this cocktail appears in the 19th July edition of the Albuquerque Journal as a "Tequila Daisy" but the proportions are not stated. The 2 parts tequila, 1 part Cointreau, 1 part lime juice recipe we recognise as today's Margarita first appears in W. J. Tarling's 1937 Cafe Royal Cocktail Book but under the name "Picador".

Tarling's 1937 recipe doesn't specify a brand or style of tequila and his recipe calls for lime or lemon juice, but he does name Cointreau as his liqueur of choice.

Who added the salt rim and renamed the Picador a Margarita is debated by cocktail historians. Perhaps read the full story of the Margarita cocktail while you sip on one.

Nutrition:

One serving of The Original Margarita contains 181 calories

Alcohol content:

1.7 standard drinks
23.53% alc./vol. (23.53° proof)
23.5 grams of pure alcohol

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Showing 3 comments for The Original Margarita.
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Stewart Morrison

10th November 2023 at 17:07

60ml of tq makes it a drink

Miguel Perales

11th April 2023 at 22:58

For me, the Cointreau overpowered the drink. I used Don Julio 70 and it overpowered it. I think this is the first time I will disagree with John (LOL)

Chris Dimal

29th January 2024 at 19:11

Respectfully, with an additive laden Cristalino, of course it will end up like that. Even the standard Don Julio Blanco tends to be too hidden. This is a Margarita which truly needs a vegetal, mineral and/or citrus-y additive free Blanco Tequila. I opened my Cascahuin Blanco and tried this first, and it was really good, with it being balanced towards the very tart side.

John Hinojos

6th March 2023 at 02:55

Having spent the last 50 years in Southern California, I have drank a lot of margarita. I always find them a bit too sweet and flat in flavour. This was off the charts for me. It is simple, and bright and clean in flavour. Nicely sour as if you have taken a shot of tequila with a taste of lime. I will definitely have this one again. We did add Difford's Margarita Bitters which nicely embellished a wonderful cocktail.

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