Margarita magnificence: how to master and tweak a classic

My latest cocktail column, out no

“Despite being one of the most popular cocktails in the world, most margaritas are made poorly — intentionally. Nobody buys a margarita in a plastic cup for its complex flavor and balanced profile. They’re for long days out on the beach, to cool you down and kick things up — and they’re mostly made quickly and sweetly, like slushies with crushed ice.

Frozen margaritas are the invention of Dallas restaurateur Mariano Martinez, who started serving them in 1971 from a converted soft-serve ice-cream machine, but the exact origin of the classic margarita was at some unknown far earlier date. Margaritas were introduced to Americans in the 1950s, with the arrival of Sauza and Cuervo tequilas, and by the 1960s, had secured their place as one of the nation’s most popular cocktails. A “Margarita” — “daisy” — as with the gin daisy, Hemingway Daiquiri, Sidecar and brandy daisy — is composed of the main spirit, a sweet liqueur and citrus.”

Out now in The Spectator (and our August edition); my latest cocktail column, on the margarita. Give it a read!