At Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, we think our patrons deserve the best. Obviously, we only attract hard-working, well-mannered individuals worthy of quality food and a stout margarita to wash it all down with. Or there’s always our beerita, because sometimes you just can’t choose between a beer and a margarita. You just need both. At the same time.
Our twist on the margarita, which has a full-size beer sticking out of it, evolved over time. But where did the original margarita, that icy, tart, tequila-laced elixir, come from? There are several versions of how the margarita came to be, and as you may have already guessed, we’re about to talk about them.
Probably the most common origin story centers on Carlos “Danny” Herrera, owner of a Tijuana-based restaurant, Rancho La Gloria, in the late 1930s. Herrera had a regular patron, aspiring actress Marjorie King, who was allergic to all hard alcohol. Well, all hard alcohol except tequila, that is.
In order to satisfy her, Herrera devised a tasty concoction inspired by the humble tequila shot: tequila, salt and lime. The world’s first “margarita” was the result (not to mention one of the earliest cases of someone with a food allergy getting their way in a restaurant).
Another version originates with Margarita Sames, a Dallas socialite who claims she created the drink for friends at her Acapulco vacation house in the late 1940s. One of her guests happened to be Tommy Hilton, who reportedly added the drink to the bar menu in his popular hotels.
However, according to The Complete Book of Spirits by Anthony Dias Blue, the first importer of Jose Cuervo in the United States had the tagline, “Margarita: It’s more than a girl’s name,” back in 1945. This was three years before Margarita Sames “invented” the margarita. What gives?
Perhaps two people created the same drink a decade a part? Perhaps one is, um, embellishing? We may never know who poured the first margarita, but that won’t stop us from enjoying the heck out of them. Ignorance is bliss, really.
So remember, friends, you can be a part of history by trying Fuzzy’s Taco Shop’s beerita at many of our locations around town. You know you want to.
Viva la margarita! [Cue mariachi music]
