The social drinker

She turns 70 this year, but is well able to keep up with the younger contenders gathered around the bar. Like many of the most interesting women, nobody is quite sure where the Margarita comes from, but the stories are good, even if you can’t quite trust them.

One story suggests that the drink was born in a bar in Ensenada in deepest Mexico, when a barman was mixing a drink for Margarita Henkel, who was the daughter of the German ambassador. Another tale claims the drink borrowed its name from the actress Margarita Cansino, who used to sing at the Agua Caliente racetrack, and is better known as Rita Hayworth.

A third story says the Margarita was conceived in 1948, in a wealthy Acapulco villa, by a Dallas-born socialite named Margaret James, at a party attended by Tommy Hilton, who put the new drink on the menu at his eponymous hotel chain.

Regardless of where this cocktail came from, the 70th anniversary seems like a good time to enjoy one of the most popular tipples in history. Making a classic margarita is easy; wet the rim of a glass and then dip it into some salt so there is a small rim of salt at the top of the glass. Then, simply shake up 30ml of lime juice, 60ml of tequila and 30ml of Cointreau.

The frozen Margarita, a popular and inspired alternative that’s akin to a slushie, was developed by a Mexican-American called Mariano Martinez, while he was looking at an ice-cream machine in his local equivalent of Centra. It calls for all the same ingredients in the same proportions, but mixed with ice in a blender. Four handfuls of ice and four times each the quantities of the ingredients above should do it. Finally, if you have some at home, a luxurious alternative is the Cadillac Margarita, which calls for Grand Marnier instead of Cointreau, and a good tequila, such as anejo (vintage) or

reposado (rested).