More than a few bartenders claim to have crafted the original Margarita recipe, and most of them share a few things in common. It likely originated along the Mexican/American border between 1930 and 1950, and it came to please a crowd.

Franciso “Pancho” Morales was asked to make a cocktail named the Magnolia, and he boldly built a drink around the one ingredient he could remember from the Magnolia—cointreau. After realizing he’d created something entirely new, he named his cocktail after another flower— the daisy. (or, as the romantic version of the anecdote goes: the drink hung up alongside the signs for his other homespun cocktails, and was named after his wife, who was actually named “Margarita.”

Far on the west coast, just across the border from the US, some say that Carlos “Danny“ Herrera concocted the drink for Ziegler showgirl Marjorie King. This B-rated movie star was a barfly at Herrera’s—but she was actually (supposedly) allergic to all hard alcohol except tequila.

The original recipe, written by Morales on the back of an old bar tab, measures for a single drink, but batch margaritas in advance to your heart’s delight:

Ingredients:
- Juice of one lime
- Four parts tequila (we recommend Espolòn Tequila Reposado)
One part Cointreau (which we carry here)
Preparation:
- Pour into a 3 oz. glass with a salted rim

Here’s an updated version from Whole and Heavenly Oven, that boasts the flavors of the original recipe, while bringing something new to the picnic table, dance floor, beach…wherever!

Ingredients:
- 4 cups frozen diced pineapple
- Juice from 2 limes
- 1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1-1/2 cups tequila (try Espolòn’s blanco version)
- 3/4 cup triple sec (we have a great bottle for a batch)
- 1 cup ice cubes
Preparation:
- Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend on high speed until mixture is smooth and slushy.
-Serve margarita slushies in a salt-rimmed glass immediately, OR place the blend in the freezer until ready to serve.

Make both for your next bash, and decide if old school, new school, or a different variation you mix up on your own is best!