Why is Margarita Day Celebrated In The United States?

Americans love the Mexican cocktail so much that they consume about 185,000 margaritas per hour

This February 22, the United States celebrates National Margarita Day, an icon of Mexican popular culture made with tequila, salt, ice, and lemon juice that has become the eighth most popular cocktail in the world, according to Drinks International. 

The celebration 

During this day, Americans pay tribute and respect to the already international drink that has won their hearts, consuming large quantities in bars and restaurants, either in its classic version or with extra ingredients and flavors. As proof of this, Americans consume 185 thousand margaritas per hour!

This date has also served as a pretext for the large Mexican food chains to attract more customers with unique promotions and for friends and families to gather in a quiet celebration.

According to the official National Margarita Day site, the day was founded by Todd McCalla to “spread his love for daisies around the world,” yet its history dates back to the 1930s and 1940s. 

One theory of its creation leans back to the 1930s when women were looking for a way to consume alcohol at social events in an elegant way; While another hypothesis assures that actress, Marjorie King, being allergic to liquors, except tequila, combined lime juice, dry ice, and salt. 

It was not until the 1970s that frozen margaritas were introduced by a waiter who used a soft-serve ice cream machine to multiply productions. 

Preparation of the margaritas 

To the delight of lovers of this alcoholic beverage, there is a wide variety of preparations, but the required ingredients are tequila and salt, the latter to highlight the bittersweet flavors of the other elements. 

As already mentioned, the traditional one is made of lemon, salt, ice, and tequila, but there are also some based on cucumber, ginger, strawberry, mango, watermelon, or peach juice. 

For example, Sangre de Sol Margarita is made with cinnamon, grenadine, orange juice; the RIP Tide Margarita is made with cucumber, serrano chile, lime juice, tequila agave nectar, salt, and soda. 

For sweet flavors, there’s the Nutcracker Margarita, made with reposado tequila, apple juice, lime juice, honey, and ginger juice. 

Its preparations are simple and the ingredients and serving containers can be found in the supermarket at affordable costs. 

Tequila, the star of the cocktail 

The margaritas have taken international fame thanks to its star ingredient: tequila, which is exported from Mexico to 98 countries, including the United States and countries of the European Union via the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement.

Only between 2014 and 2016, more than 188.9 million liters were exported with earnings oscillating in the thousand 87 million dollars, the United States acquired an average of 160 million 984 thousand liters, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fishing and Food (SAGARPA). 

Within the tequila industry, at least 16,000 brands are registered, many of them with foreign owners and investors who were inspired by Mexico to create their own companies such as Tequila Casamigos by George Clooney and his partner Rande Gerber, or Tequila Honor by Kate del Castillo with barracks in Delaware . 

Amelia Warner writes all the Latest Articles. She mostly covers Entertainment topics, but at times loves to write about movie reviews as well.

Leave a Comment