Food History: The Margarita's Many Muses

The bright cocktail, rimmed with salt, conjures an instant sense of seaside escape—even if you’re just posted up at the community pool or stretched across a lounge chair in your own backyard. And while its exact origin is widely disputed, many of the stories behind it read like the plot of a summer romance.

The margarita’s lineage traces back to the Daisy, a pre- Prohibition sour cocktail that balanced spirit (often gin), citrus, and sweetness. The first known mention of a Tequila Daisy appeared in 1936 in the Moville Mail, an Iowa newspaper. Its editor recounted a trip to Tijuana, Mexico, where a bartender allegedly created the drink by accident after reaching for the wrong bottle. The Spanish word for “daisy”? Margarita.

However, it would take nearly two more decades for the term margarita to appear in print describing a Tequila Daisy, in a 1953 California newspaper. In the years between, tequila began its ascent from regional spirit to international star. And along the way, margarita’s lore flourished with tales of glamour, romance, and quite a few female muses with names that sound very similar to Margarita.

One popular tale credits Dallas socialite Margaret Sames, who claimed she first mixed tequila, Cointreau, and fresh lime juice for stylish guests at her Acapulco home in 1948. Another centers on Carlos Danny Herrera, said to be “The Father” of the cocktail after having created the drink for Ziegfeld showgirl Marjorie King, who reportedly had an aversion to all spirits but tequila. Then there’s hotel manager David Daniel “Danny” Negrete, who claimed he invented the drink first in 1936 as a romantic gesture for his girlfriend who loved salt in her cocktails. Her name? Margarita.

Tijuana bartender, Dallas socialite, Ziegfeld showgirl, hotel manager… however winding its backstory, the margarita’s formula endures: tequila’s earthy bite softened by orange liqueur and electrified with fresh lime, and sometimes even a splash of spice that can turn a simple romance into a real page turner.

By the 1970s, thanks to frozen margarita machines and beachy anthems from Jimmy Buffett, the margarita became an American mainstay. Tequila has seen a massive rise in America in the 21st century, surpassing both rum and whiskey in sales in the last few years and accounting for 69% of global sales at the close of 2024 according to CRT, the Mexican Tequila Regulator. Much of this drive has been thanks to celebrity influencer brands and new, sophisticated tequila cocktails driving the awareness of and demand for high- quality tequila. Yet, to this day, whether shaken and served up, poured over ice, or blended with peak-season fruit, the margarita remains “summer in a glass.”