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. (He drank beer and porter, which he brewed on his estate. He also liked Madeira, a fortified wine produced on the Portuguese island of Madeira. He also planted American grapes for wine. He had tried planting Madeira, but the grapes were not successful in the Virginia soil.)

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, the Margarita iw the preferred cocktail of 60% of Americans—thus, the most popular cocktail in the U.S.

Runners up are the Daiquiri, Piña Colada, Long Island Iced Tea and Mojito.

> 33+ Margarita recipes are below.

Also below, how to throw a Margarita cocktail party.
 
 
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:
 
 
33+ MARGARITA RECIPES

 
 
MARGARITA COCKTAIL PARTY

[1] A classic Margarita with a twist: a smoked salt rim (photo © Casa Noble Tequila).

[2] Add some heat; here, a Thai Margarita with hibiscus, a Thai chile, and black lava salt rim (photo © 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 (photo © Created By Diane).

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:

 
What more can we say than: Enjoy yourself but drink responsibly!
 
 
MARGARITA TRIVIA

Americans celebrate Cinco de Mayo, on May 6th; but September 16th is the real Mexican Independence Day. Here’s the scoop.