The history of the margarita and where to find Hong Kong’s best
The origins of the classic tequila-based cocktail is shrouded in mystery; it seems to have been dedicated to everyone from Peggy Lee to Rita Hayworth, but there’s no denying its popularity
The origins of the classic tequila-based cocktail is shrouded in mystery; it seems to have been dedicated to everyone from Peggy Lee to Rita Hayworth, but there’s no denying its popularity
Nobody knows for sure how long the margarita has been around, or even the identity of the lady it was named after.
The most popular theory is that it was created in the late 1930s, near Tijuana in Mexico, by the owner of a restaurant called Rancho La Gloria.
Carlos “Danny” Herrera claimed he made it specially for a customer named Marjorie King, a B-movie actress and former Ziegfeld Follies showgirl. She was alleged to be allergic to most alcoholic drinks – with the curious exception of tequila.
King didn’t like to drink the spirit straight, however, which set Herrera a challenge. After some experimentation, he told the Los Angeles Times in 1991, he came up with the tequila, triple sec, citrus, salt and ice combination that is popular all over the world today. He called it a margarita because he thought the name was the closest Spanish equivalent to Marjorie.
Bar review: 99 bottles in Central – drinks cheaper than most happy hours in an unpretentious setting
The LA Times story gives Herrera’s recollection of the date of the margarita’s invention as the late 1940s. However, he was about 90 years old when he gave the interview, and may have been confused on that point.