1934 to 1959 – The Margarita is Born
This period saw consolidation of the cocktail scene and some great innovations were made. One of the most popular cocktails, the Margarita, originates in 1948. Some say a Dallas socialite named Margarita Sames hosted a poolside Christmas party at her vacation home in Acapulco, Mexico. The party game for Margarita was to see what concoctions she could develop behind the bar, and let her guests rate the results. When she mixed three parts tequila with one part triple sec and one part lime, it was such a success among her guests that it quickly travelled from Texas society to Hollywood and the rest of the country, bearing her name.
Legend also says the drink originated in the early 1930s at the Caliente Racetrack Bar in Tijuana, Mexico. There is little evidence, though, for the story of showgirl Marjorie King who had an allergy to most alcoholic drinks and could only drink tequila. In 1938, she asked for a tequila cocktail rather than a shot at the Rancho Del Gloria Bar in Rosarita Beach, Mexico. The bartender, Danny Herrera, poured tequila over shaved ice then added lemon and triple sec naming it after Marjorie translated into Spanish.