Drink Up! Today is National Margarita Day

I know Friday was National Drink Wine Day, but it's time to put your wine glass down and pick up a different kind of drink, because February 22nd is National Margarita Day!

I don't know why all of these alcohol-related holidays are in February, but I'm not going to complain! I loooooove me some margaritas! I think I love them so much because they go so well with Mexican food. Mmmm queso...

National Margarita Day was created for one simple reason: to celebrate the mixing of tequila, triple sec, and lime/lemon juice into the wonderful drink we know and love today. There's actually a lot of debate as to the origin of the margarita. Some say the very first one was created in 1938 by Carlos "Danny" Herrera, some say it was October of 1941 by Don Carlos Orozco, some say July 4, 1942 by Francisco "Pancho" Morales... the list goes on and on. You can read all the stories and judge for yourself on Wikipedia. All we know for sure is that the first publication of the margarita recipe was in the December 1953 issue of Esquire Magazine. 

If you happen to love frozen margaritas, you can thank Mariano Martinez for that. He invented the very first frozen margarita machine in May of 1971 using a soft-serve ice cream machine. That very machine now sits in the Smithsonian National Museum of History.

Margaritas have really come a long way. There are so many options now! You can get pretty much any flavor under the sun, jumbo or regular size, on-the-rocks or straight-up, salt or sugar on the rim... really, the possibilities are endless. However you like your margaritas, head to your favorite Mexican restaurant and have one today! It is a national holiday, after all!

[Via National Margarita Day/Wikipedia]