Is this the First Margarita Recipe?

1937 Picador Tequila Cocktail from the 1937 Cafe Royal cocktail book – Cocktails After Dark Cinco de Mayo Margarita Cocktail Special.

I‘m going out on a limb here (again) and I’m going to say that this is the very first printed recipe for a Margarita Cocktail. This is of course disputed… Many will say that the Margarita Cocktail proportions are slightly different, and that a Margarita has to be made with a salt rim, and a Margarita can only be made with Lime juice. That last one is an interesting point – Lemon or Lime? Most early Spanish language cocktail books that I own from Central or South America, and the Caribbean are pretty vague in their use of Límon/Líma and there seems to be a wide gap in what these mean from one Spanish speaking country to the next.

Giving the option of one or the other in this book may come from confusion over the right translation, or it could stem from supply issues of the time period.

1937 Picador Tequila Cocktail Recipe:

¼ Fresh Lime or Lemon juice

¼ Cointreau

½ Tequila

Shake

Simple, right?!

Want a cheap low-cal marg? Make a Frescarita with Tequilla and Fresca!