History

• The origins of the margarita are unclear, with many different people laying claim to its invention. Most of these stories date the birth of the margarita to be sometime in the late 1930s or early 1940s. The margarita was "Esquire" magazine's "Drink of the Month" in December 1953. The first machine for making frozen, blended margaritas was invented in 1971 by a chemist named John Hogan.
  
  

Geography

• The birthplace of the margarita is no more certain than its inventor, but the folklore surrounding the margarita's invention suggests that the drink was developed either somewhere in Mexico or the southern United States.
  
  

Features

• A traditional margarita consists of tequila, lime juice and triple sec or Cointreau (both orange-flavored liqueurs), served over ice. The official proportions for a margarita according to the International Bartender's Association should be seven parts tequila to four parts triple sec to three parts lime juice. However, simpler proportions (like 1:1:1) are often used, and the drink is sometimes sweetened with simple syrup or made with sweetened lime juice instead of fresh. The rim of the glass may be salted, although some tequila purists believe that this obscures the true flavor of the drink and is a way of hiding poor quality ingredients.
  
  

Types

• There are countless types of margaritas available today. Every fruit juice imaginable has made its way into a margarita at some point or another, but some of the most popular permutations are strawberry, raspberry, pomegranate, watermelon, mango and peach. Other liqueurs have also been added, resulting in melon margaritas (made with Midori melon liqueur), blackberry margaritas (made with Chambord) and blue margaritas (made with Blue Curacao). Frozen margaritas are a ubiquitous alternative to the traditional on-the-rocks drink.
  
  

Considerations

• Although using the strong flavors of lime and orange liqueur to mask a cheap tequila may be tempting, quality tequila will make your margarita taste that much better. Also, an authentic margarita should be tart and refreshing, never syrupy.