Overview
A margarita is a tequila sour built on tequila, lime juice, and orange liqueur (triple sec or Cointreau), served with or without a salted rim. The balance is salty, sweet, and tart; it is drunk shaken and strained (up), on the rocks, or blended frozen. It is one of the most widely ordered cocktails in North America.
Origin and history
The margarita’s origin is famously disputed, with competing claims locating its invention in Tijuana, Ensenada, Ciudad Juárez, and across the U.S.–Mexico border in Texas and California during the late 1930s to 1940s. Multiple bartenders and restaurateurs are named as creators, and the mythology is as central to the drink’s identity as its recipe.
What goes in it
White or reposado tequila, fresh lime juice, orange liqueur (typically Cointreau or triple sec), and optionally simple syrup or agave syrup. A salt rim on the glass is characteristic, often applied after rubbing the rim with a lime wedge. No other ingredients are canonical.
How it’s made
Shake tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur, and optionally sweetener with ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into a salt-rimmed coupe if served up, or pour over fresh ice in a rocks glass for an on-the-rocks version. Frozen margaritas are blended with ice until smooth.
When and how to drink it
Served as an aperitif or party cocktail, especially alongside coastal Mexican meals. Classic pairings include fish tacos, ceviche, guacamole with chips, carne asada tacos, and shrimp cocktails. The drink’s acidity cuts through fried and rich foods.
Variations
- Frozen margarita – blended with ice, often using a pre-made sour mix.
- Tommy’s margarita – uses only agave syrup as sweetener, omitting orange liqueur.
- Mezcal margarita (mezcalita) – mezcal replaces tequila, adding smoky notes.
- Fruit margaritas – mango, tamarind, hibiscus, or other purées blended in.
- Spicy margarita – muddled fresh chile or chile-infused spirit added.
Where in LA
No specific Los Angeles establishments are documented for this entry, though the margarita is ubiquitous across the city’s Mexican restaurants, cocktail bars, and chain cantinas.
Cross-cuisine context
The closest functional analogue is the Peruvian pisco sour – both are citrus-forward sours that rely on a distilled base spirit and fresh lime, but the pisco sour uses simple syrup and egg white rather than orange liqueur. The margarita also resembles the Cuban daiquiri (rum, lime, sugar) and the French sidecar (cognac, lemon, orange liqueur). No widely recognized analogue outside the cocktail sour family exists.