National Margarita Day is February 22nd. Coincidentally, it’s the birthday of George Washington, who never had a tequila drink since Colonials didn’t know about tequila.
The Margarita has become America’s favorite cocktail. Here’s the history of the Margarita.
According to The Nielsen CGA On-Premise Consumer Survey, a snapshot of America’s eating and drinking habits in restaurants and bars.
That makes the Margarita the preference of 60% of Americans: the most popular cocktail in the U.S.
Runners up are the Daiquiri, Piña Colada, Long Island Iced Tea and Mojito.
MARGARITA VS. NOT A MARGARITA
Is everything with tequila a Margarita? Of course not—although it might seem so, given the number of recipes sent to us called Margarita, but are other tequila cocktails.
It’s a [bad] marketing play: Mixologists know that something called Margarita will sell better. Here’s how to identify a Margarita vs. another tequila drink.
But there are acceptable variations on the Margarita. With only three ingredients (tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice) plus a salt rim, bartenders around the world have the creative license to add fruit purées, chiles and herbs to make Margarita variations.
Here are some of them:
27 MARGARITA RECIPES
Chanukah Margarita (it’s blue)
Cranberry, Grapefruit & Pomegranate Margaritas
Cranberry-Orange Margarita
Deconstructed Margarita: 3 Cocktail Shots
Deconstructed Margarita 2
Different Margarita Rimmers
4 Margarita Recipes: Original, Classic, Frozen & Non-Alcoholic Margarita Recipes
Frozen Grape Margarita
Frozen Kiwi Cilantro Margarita
Frozen Cherry Margarita
French Margarita
Frozen Cranberry Margarita
Ginger Margarita
Green Margarita With Spring Peas & Tarragon
Guavarita With Jalapeño
Irish Margarita
Mama Rita Margarita With Cabernet Sauvignon
Misteltoe Margarita For Christmas & New Year’s Eve
Peach Margarita (Peacharita)
Pineapple Margarita
Pineapple Lime Cilantro & Banana Margaritas
Pomegranate Margarita
Smokin’ Margarita
Spicy Margarita
Spicy Watermelon Margarita
Strawberry Margarita
Strawberry Margarita Jell-O Shots
MARGARITA COCKTAIL PARTY
We’ve just given you a treasure trove of Margarita recipes. So how about planning a Margarita Party?
Any day is good for the party, although February 22nd (National Margarita Day), May 5th (Cinco de Mayo) and July 24th (National Tequila Day) are good candidates.
Here’s how to throw a Margarita party the easy way:
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[1] A classic Margarita with a twist: a smoked salt rim (photo courtesy Casa Noble Tequila).

[2] Add some heat; here, a Thai Margarita with hibiscus, a Thai chile and black lava salt rim (photo courtesy Miro Kitchen).

[3] A black grape frozen Margarita. Here’s the recipe from the California Table Grape Commission.

[4] A Cherry Margarita. Here’s the recipe from (photo courtesy Created By Diane).
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Invite your Margarita-loving friends to a “co-op” party: Everyone brings a different recipe, mixed in their home.
You provide the munchies, and one of the Margarita recipes.
Provide plastic shot glasses instead of rocks glasses, so guests can try the different recipes without getting snockered.
Have a selection of non-alcoholic soft drinks, mineral water, iced tea, lemonade or other juice drinks so guests can switch off between Margaritas.
Keep the party to two hours (because, how much should anyone drink?); and arrange for designated drivers or a ride-share service.
What more can we say than: Enjoy yourself but drink responsibly!
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