Today is National Margarita Day so rim a glass with salt and serve up a beverage that tastes like the summer sun. Known to be the most common tequila-based cocktail served in the United States, the margarita is a cocktail that consists of tequila, triple sec, and lime or lemon juice.
I say we all meet up at El Campesino in Marion and celebrate! What is your favorite flavor? Frozen or on-the-rocks? I love a Jalapeno Margarita on the rocks, personally.
When it comes to sorting out the legends associated with the origin of the margarita, there are many. Two things are certain; the cocktail included tequila, and the bartender edged the rim of the glass with salt. In Mexico, when drinking straight tequila (especially if the quality was bad), the best course of action was to down it in one swallow, suck on a wedge of lime and lick a dash of salt off the back of your hand.
It makes sense that the salt followed the lime and the tequila to the margarita glass. Today, lime is not the only flavor of margarita, and the specialists behind the bar have gotten creative mixing dried herbs, infused sugars, and exotic salts to enhance both the presentation of the glass and the flavor of the cocktail.