James Graham, an American newspaper editor, reports on a visit to “The Home of the Famous Tequila Daisy” in Tijuana, Mexico. (“Daisy,” a sour-style cocktail, translates to “Margarita” in Spanish.)
1935
About 60 miles south at Hussong’s Cantina in Ensenada, Don Carlos Orozco creates an equal-parts mix of tequila, a local liqueur and lime juice served over ice for a German Mexican guest, Margarita Henkel, claiming to have invented the Margarita template.
1941
At Tommy’s Place in El Paso, Texas, Pancho Morales mixes up an approximation of the Magnolia cocktail for a guest and dubs it the Margarita, another contentious claim to own the origin of the drink.
1942
Dallas restaurateur Mariano Martinez pulls the first slushy frozen Margarita from a machine, using a repurposed soft-serve ice cream maker.
1971
Julio Bermejo first serves the Tommy’s Margarita at Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco.
1987
The Cadillac Margarita, a signature take made with a new, “luxury” tequila, appears at Spago in Los Angeles.
1989
David Nepove wins a cocktail competition with his Sweet Heat cocktail, a drink featuring muddled jalapeño, lime, Licor 43 and tequila—one of the earliest spicy Margs to gain traction.
2005
In the first season of The Real Housewives of New York City, Bethenny Frankel orders a cocktail she calls “the skinny girl’s Margarita,” launching the calorie-conscious serve, and her subsequent brand, into the popular consciousness.
2008
Hover over a date to learn more.
Fiery habanero shrub is bolstered by herbal and ginger liqueurs.
Johnny Blaze
RECIPE
RECIPE
Thai chile tincture is steeped for two weeks before being shaken into this tropical-leaning take.
Bay Watch
RECIPE
RECIPE
Piquant habanero contrasts with fresh, cooling mint.
Spicy With Tequila
RECIPE
RECIPE
Ancho Reyes chile liqueur provides smoky spice.
Ancho Problem
RECIPE
RECIPE
Serrano pepper and a blend of herbs recall tacos al pastor.
Margarita al Pastor
RECIPE
RECIPE
Verdita—typically a spicy green juice chaser—gets thrown into the mix.
The Greenbelt
RECIPE
RECIPE
Rich vanilla and pineapple juice soften the spice of jalapeño-infused tequila.
Hot Lips
RECIPE
RECIPE
Dashes of Cholula thrown directly into the shaker kick up the heat.
I'm on Fire
RECIPE
RECIPE
Green Tabasco echoes the vegetal undertones of tequila.
Flaming Heart
RECIPE
RECIPE
A powdered chile garnish adds a manageable kick to this fresh take.
Mexican Razor Blade
RECIPE
RECIPE
Simultaneously “safe, extreme, cultured and milquetoast,” according to Punch contributor Scott Hocker, the spicy Margarita is everything the American drinker wants out of a modern cocktail. But what started as slightly piquant—jalapeño-infused tequila, for example—has intensified, with ingredients ranging from serrano peppers to chile powder to habanero tinctures. How hot can you go? Find out below.
For those who prefer a more fiery take, learn how to bring the heat in three easy
techniques.
Hover over a drink to learn more.
David Nepove wins a cocktail competition with his Sweet Heat cocktail, a drink featuring muddled jalapeño, lime, Licor 43 and tequila—one of the earliest spicy Margs to gain traction.
2005
The Cadillac Margarita, a signature take made with a new, “luxury” tequila appears at Spago in Los Angeles.
1989
Julio Bermejo first serves the Tommy’s Margarita at Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco.
1987
Dallas restaurateur Mariano Martinez pulls the first slushy frozen Margarita from a machine, using a repurposed soft-serve ice cream maker.
1971
At Tommy’s Place in El Paso, Texas, Pancho Morales mixes up an approximation of the Magnolia cocktail for a guest and dubs it the Margarita, another contentious claim to own the origin of the drink.
1942
About 60 miles south at Hussong’s Cantina in Ensenada, Don Carlos Orozco creates an equal-parts mix of tequila, a local liqueur and lime juice served over ice for a German Mexican guest, Margarita Henkel, claiming to have invented the Margarita template.
1941
James Graham, an American newspaper editor, reports on a visit to “The Home of the Famous Tequila Daisy” in Tijuana, Mexico. (“Daisy,” a sour-style cocktail, translates to “Margarita” in Spanish.)
1935
Green Tabasco echoes the vegetal undertones
of tequila.
Flaming Heart
RECIPE
RECIPE
Dashes of Cholula thrown directly into the shaker kick up the heat.
I'm On Fire
RECIPE
RECIPE
Rich vanilla and pineapple juice soften the spice of jalapeño-infused tequila.
Hot Lips
RECIPE
RECIPE
Verdita—typically a spicy green juice chaser—gets thrown into the mix.
The Greenbelt
RECIPE
RECIPE
Serrano pepper and a blend of herbs recall tacos al pastor.
Margarita
al Pastor
RECIPE
RECIPE
Ancho Reyes chile liqueur provides smoky spice.
Ancho Problem
RECIPE
RECIPE
Piquant habanero contrasts with fresh, cooling mint.
Spicy With Tequila
RECIPE
RECIPE
Thai chile tincture is steeped for two weeks before being shaken into this tropical-leaning take.
Bay Watch
RECIPE
RECIPE
Fiery habanero shrub is bolstered by herbal and ginger liqueurs.
Johnny Blaze
RECIPE
RECIPE