There’s no better way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo than with a cold margarita in hand. It’s the most popular cocktail in the United States and the undisputed king of tequila-based drinks — but how much do you really know about what’s in that glass? The history of the margarita is as tangy and complex as the drink itself, full of colorful characters, competing claims, and more than a little mystery.
What’s in a Name?
Let’s start with the basics. “Margarita” is Spanish for “daisy,” and that’s no coincidence. The Daisy was a classic Prohibition-era cocktail built on a simple formula: a base spirit, something sweet, and something sour. Most versions used brandy or gin as the base. Some historians believe the margarita is simply a Mexican riff on the Daisy — swap in tequila, and suddenly you have something entirely new. It’s a humble origin story, but an elegant one.
So Who Actually Invented It?
Here’s where things get complicated. The margarita has more claimed inventors than almost any other cocktail, and the truth is, nobody really knows.
One popular story credits Dallas socialite Margarita Sames, who supposedly whipped up the drink for guests at her Acapulco vacation home in 1948. The story goes that Tommy Hilton was among those guests and liked it so much he brought the recipe back to the Hilton hotel chain. A great story — except that Jose Cuervo was already running advertisements for the margarita three years earlier, in 1945, with the cheeky slogan “Margarita: It’s more than a girl’s name.” According to Cuervo, the drink was actually invented back in 1938 by a bartender honoring Mexican showgirl Rita de la Rosa.
Meanwhile, down in Galveston, Texas, the legendary Balinese Room has its own claim. Head bartender Santos Cruz allegedly created the drink in 1948 for none other than singer Peggy Lee, naming it after the Spanish version of her name. Three different stories, three different years, and three different inventors — you can see why historians have thrown up their hands.
What we do know is that the first print reference to a margarita-like drink appears in the 1937 book Café Royal Cocktail Book by William J. Tarling. He called it the Picador — after a type of bullfighter — and the recipe is remarkably similar to what we drink today. The name didn’t stick, but the cocktail did.
The Frozen Margarita: Born Out of Desperation
Fast forward to Dallas in 1971, where restaurant owner Mariano Martinez was facing a crisis. His blended margaritas were wildly popular — so popular that his bar staff was cranking out more than 200 a night from a single blender. The drinks tasted inconsistent, customers complained, and his head bartender was threatening to quit over the chaos.
Martinez needed a solution, and he found it at a 7-Eleven. Staring at a Slurpee machine, the idea hit him: premix the margarita and let the machine do the work. He modified a soft-serve ice cream machine into a frozen margarita dispenser, and the rest is history. The frozen margarita was born — not from culinary genius, but from sheer necessity. In 2005, after 34 years of service, that original machine was retired and donated to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, where it belongs.
Why the Salt?
If you’ve ever wondered whether the salted rim is just for show, it isn’t. Salt plays a genuine role in the flavor profile of a margarita, balancing the sweet and sour elements while softening the sharp bite of lime and tequila. It also heightens your perception of the drink’s aromas, making every sip taste more vivid and complex. It’s a small touch with a big impact — don’t skip it.
Record-Breaking and Eye-Wateringly Expensive
The margarita has inspired some truly impressive extremes. The world’s largest was mixed in Tijuana, Mexico on July 11, 2025 — more than 9,000 gallons of it, poured into a custom tank over ten hours by 142 gastronomy students to celebrate the city’s 136th anniversary. On the opposite end of the spectrum, The London Bar in New York City serves the “Billionaire Margarita” for $1,200 a glass. It’s made with one of the rarest Patrón tequilas on the market, Rémy Martin Louis XIII cognac at $216 an ounce, and organic lime juice. Cheers, if you can afford it.
America’s Cocktail
The margarita isn’t just popular — it’s dominant. It holds the top spot for cocktail popularity across the United States, with a particularly strong following across the South and West. Chili’s alone sold over 25 million margaritas in 2024, more than any other restaurant brand in the country.
So this Cinco de Mayo, raise a glass to a drink with a disputed past, a brilliant accidental reinvention, and an undeniable hold on the American palate. Whether you take yours frozen, on the rocks, salted, or splurged on at $1,200 a pop — the margarita has earned its celebration. Salud!