The Original Margarita

Serve in an

Garnish:

Rim glass with lime juice and sea salt before making cocktail. Add a lime wheel slice to finished drink.

How to make:

SHAKE all ingredients with ice and strain into ice-filled glass.

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.

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:

• 1.8 standard drinks
• 25.81% alc./vol. (51.62° proof)
• 25.8 grams of pure alcohol