Mexican Drinks

The most famous Mexican Drink is the Margarita.

The Margarita is the most common tequila-based cocktail, made with tequila mixed with triple sec and lime or lemon juice, often served with salt on the glass rim.

Common ratios for a margarita are

• 2:1:1 = (50% tequila, 25% Triple Sec, 25% fresh lime or lemon juice)
• 3:2:1 = (50% tequila, 33% Triple Sec, 17% fresh lime or lemon juice)
• 3:1:1 = (60% tequila, 20% Triple Sec, 20% fresh lime or lemon juice)
• 1:1:1 = (33% tequila, 33% Triple Sec, 33% fresh lime or lemon juice)

although the IBA (IBA Official list of Cocktails) standard is

• 7:4:3 = (50% tequila, 29% Triple Sec, 21% fresh lime or lemon juice)

The drink is usually served shaken with ice, on the rocks, or blended with ice (the "frozen margarita"). All three methods are frequently served with salt on the rim of the glass. Some bartenders specializing in tequila have the opinion that salt hides the flavor of bad Margaritas made with inferior tequilas. For people who insist on a salt rim, the bartender typically only coats half the glass or offers a straw, so that they can still taste the drink without being obscured by the salt's taste.

While the most common margaritas contain tequila, orange liqueur, lime or lemon juice, and sometimes an additional sweetener, such as simple syrup, many variations are becoming more and more common. Bottled lime juice (which contains sugar) is another method used to add sweetness.

Flavored Liqueurs

Other than triple sec, other types of orange-flavored liqueur are sometimes used, such as Patrón Citrónge, Cointreau, blue curaçao yielding the blue margarita. The "grand", "royal", or "Cadillac" margarita often contains Grand Marnier or Gran Gala. Such higher quality or "top shelf" margaritas will usually use a better grade of tequila as well. Often, when sweeter fruit juices or freshly puréed fruits are added to the margarita, the amount of orange-flavored liqueur is often reduced or it is eliminated entirely. In addition to orange-flavored liqueurs, secondary liqueurs may occasionally be added to the cocktail, including black raspberry-flavored Chambord.

Fresh Lime Juice

Margaritas come in a variety of flavors and colors.

Fresh squeezed lime juice is the key ingredient. The most common lime in the U.S. is the thick skinned Persian lime. However, margaritas in Mexico are generally made with Mexican limes (Key limes). These are small, thin skinned limes and have a more tart and an often bitter flavor compared to Persian limes. Margaritas made with lemon have a softer taste, especially when Meyer lemon are used.

Other Fruits

Alternate fruits and juice mixtures can also be used in a margarita. When the word "margarita" is used by itself, it typically refers to the lime or lemon juice margarita. But when other juices are used, the fruits are typically added as adjectives in the name, with lime juice or lemon juice added like a condiment (and a wedge of lime often added to the glass). Examples of popular combinations are:

• Raspberry margarita, with lime juice
• Strawberry or peach margarita, with lemon juice
• Mango margarita, with lime juice
• Melon margarita, often with melon liqueur such as Midori

History

Origin of the Margarita

A blended margarita

There are many stories about who invented the margarita and why. The following are perhaps the most commonly repeated tales of the creator of the margarita cocktail:

Sammy Cruz, 1948

According to the promotional flyer for the legendary Balinese Room in Galveston, Texas, head bartender Santos Cruz created the Margarita for singer Peggy (Margaret) Lee in 1948.

The Balinese Room was opened in 1941 and was Texas's finest nightclub with A/C, casino gambling, superb food and drinks, and stellar entertainment until the Texas Rangers finally shut it down in 1957.

Barman "Willie" from Mexico City, 1934 in the employ of the Melguizo Family

Marguerite Hemery lived in the Rio Grande Valley since the 1930s and went to a restaurant in Matamoros called Los Dos Republicas. She was friends with the owner and, as the story goes, his bartender composed a special drink for her.

Los Dos Republicas @ americantourassociation.com

Danny Negrete, 1936

• Ratios: 1:1:1 = 6:6:6 (33% tequila, 33% Triple Sec, 33% fresh lime juice).

According to Salvador Negrete, the son of Daniel Negrete, the family story goes that Daniel opened a bar at the Garci Crispo hotel with his brother, David. The day before David's marriage, Daniel presented the margarita as a wedding present to Margarita, his sister-in-law.

It was a combination of one-third Triple Sec, one-third tequila and one-third squeezed Mexican lime juice. The drink was not blended and was served with hand-crushed ice. ^[1]

Enrique Bastate Gutierrez, early 1940s

Gutierrez, who lived in Tijuana, Mexico, boasted to have created the Margarita as a homage to actress Rita Hayworth, whose real name was Margarita Cansino.

Other versions of the story claim the Margarita was indeed named after the actress, but in the 1930s, before she adopted her screen name. As a teenager, Margarita Cansino worked as a dancer at the Foreign Club, in Tijuana, where she supposedly inspired a bartender.

Francisco "Pancho" Morales, 4th of July, 1942

A bartender, Pancho Morales invented the margarita on July 4, 1942, at a Ciudad Juárez bar named Tommy's Place. Supposedly, a woman requested a Magnolia (brandy, Cointreau, and an egg yolk topped with Champagne). Morales was a little fuzzy on the recipe; he improvised and his ersatz creation was a big hit.

Margaret Sames, December 1948

• Ratios: 2:1:1 = 4:2:2 (50% tequila, 25% Triple Sec, 25% fresh lime juice).

Sames, who created the drink at her Acapulco bar, gave the reason of being "close with a lot of famous hotel and restaurant people" in introducing the margarita.

Sames used one part Cointreau, two parts tequila and one part lime juice for her margarita. Knowing that most people drank tequila preceded by a lick of salt, she chose to garnish her cocktail with a rim of coarse salt.

Sames moved to El Paso, TX in 1958 where she was well known for her lavish parties. In 1982 she appeared on NBC's Today show demonstrating the proper way to make a margarita.

Popularity

A strawberry margarita

The margarita cocktail was the "Drink of the Month" in Esquire magazine, December 1953, pg. 76: ^[4]

1 ounce tequila

Dash of Triple Sec

Juice of 1/2 lime or lemon

Pour over crushed ice, stir. Rub the rim of a stem glass with rind of lemon or lime, spin in salt—pour, and sip.

First frozen margarita machine mix

The first frozen margarita machine mix was invented in 1971 for Dallas restaurant Marianos by chemist John Hogan. He was also recognized by the Smithsonian as the inventor of the frozen margarita machine. Mr. Hogan realized that pure cane sugar was the secret to obtaining a solution that would be consistent and enjoyable for the masses.

MEXICAN DRINK RECIPIES

MEXICAN BEERS

BREWERIES IN MEXICO
	FEMSA - is a general beverage corporation whose roots date to back to 1890 and the first large Mexican brewery, Cervecería Cuauhtémoc in Monterrey. With their brands Tecate, Sol, Dos Equis, Carta Blanca, Superior, Indio, Bohemia and Noche Buena. FEMSA Cerveza is the holder of a brewery company, the Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery. It is owned by Fomento Económico Mexicano, S.A. (FEMSA) (cerveza is Spanish for beer). It is the second largest brewer in Mexico. It was announced in January 16, 2006 that FEMSA Cerveza would acquire 68% of Cervejarias Kaiser from Molson Coors.
	Grupo Modelo - has fewer brands but a larger part of the Mexican beer export market with Corona, Corona Light, Negra Modelo, Modelo Especial, and Pacífico, their five export brands. They also brew brands intended solely for the domestic market: Victoria (a recent advertising campaign for this brand was centered around the fact that it is unavailable abroad); Estrella (a local beer found only in the west of the country; and León and Montejo (originally local to Yucatán but nowadays available nationwide). Grupo Modelo is 51 per cent owned by Anheuser-Busch but, due to a special arrangement, control of the company remains with Modelo's Mexican shareholders

MEXICAN BEERS
	Bohemia Bohemia devises especially for the experts of beer that appreciate their distinctive and impeccable flavor. Bohemia has reached the respected distinction of being like one of the finest beers of the world.
	Carta Blanca The brewery's original premium beer. Carta Blanca means "white letter (or card)" which was given to people as means of respect. Carta Blanca beer is meant as a token of thanks and respect to customers.
	Corona Corona is the top-selling beer in Mexico and is one of the top-selling beers worldwide. Available in over 150 countries, it is also Mexico's leading export brand. It was first brewed in 1925 by Cerveceria Modelo on the tenth anniversary of the brewery, and is a lager. In 1997, Corona Extra became the top-selling imported beer in the United States, surpassing Heineken...More
	Dos Equis was first crafted in Mexico by the German brewmaster Wilhelm Hasse in 1897. Originally called "Siglo XX" ("20th century"), the brand was named to commemorate the arrival of the new century; since the Spanish language uses Roman numerals for centuries, the bottles were marked "XX", two Xs, or "Dos Equis". It is currently available in two varieties: Dos Equis Especial (green bottle) is a pale lager.
	Estrella A regional brand sold throughout the Mexican State of Jalisco, Estrella® beer dates from the end of the nineteenth century, when it was produced by the Estrella Brewery. This company was bought in 1954 by Grupo Modelo®
	Indio Brewery Cuauhtémoc originally chose this beer as worthy bearer of their name "Beer Cuauhtémoc", but the consumers quickly they renamed it "Indian." or "Indio" because of the picture of the Indian on the clay bottle
	Modelo Especial Positioned as the second brand in the Grupo Modelo®, and one of the ten best-selling imported beers in the USA in 2002, Modelo Especial® is a Pilsner type beer and has been sold in both returnable bottles and cans since 1966. Available in Light as well.
	Negra Modelo Negra Modelo is a "Vienna lager"-style beer brewed in Mexico by Austrian immigrants. It was first sold on draft in 1926.
	Noche Buena The only beer of Christmas in Mexico, Good Night is a dark beer, with a strong flavor, and characteristic. The true experts of the beer await their launch each year between the months of October and December, when its rich qualities provide the perfect complement al spirit of the holiday.
	Pacifico Cerveza Pacífico is a Mexican pilsner beer, originally brewed in Mazatlán, Sinaloa. The name means Pacific Beer. The picture on the bottle is the Deer Islands off the coast of Mazatlán surrounded by a lifesaver.
	Sol Sol: Introduced in the 1890s, originally called El Sol. It was named after the ray of sunshine that fell on a pot when cooking, the beer Sol is thought to be the beer for the working class.
	Superior Superior: Meant to be the "Superior" beer, A favorite beer in Mexico for more than 50 years, this golden beer has renewed its attraction with the consumers in recent years
	Tecate Tecate is a popular Mexican beer named after the city of Tecate, Baja California, where it was first produced. Originally brewed by a local company, it was acquired by Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma in 1955. It is sold in both distinctive red aluminium tins and in twist-top bottles.
	Victoria Victoria is a dark lager (Vienna type). It was first brewed in Toluca, México, in 1865, but is currently brewed in Mexico City by the conglomerate Grupo Modelo, which bought out Compañía Toluca y México in 1935. It is generally sold in standard 325-ml bottles and 950-ml caguamas.