Bar Berta, in Taxco, is generally considered to have concocted the first Margarita-lke drink in the 1930s, called the Berta, named for its proprietor.

Neither the City of Taxco's name, nor the Bar Berta, comes up in any of the half dozen or so accepted stories of where it was invented, nor is the "Bertha" close enough to a real Margarita to make the claim. Bar Berta may promulgate the "generally considered" claim but it doesn't hold up very well to examination and is not mentioned in ANY of the half dozen or so widely circulated stories of the invention. Probably the most widely accepted is that it was invented at a Tijuana area restaurant, Rancho La Gloria, around 1938.

About the only thing we know FOR SURE about the Margarita is that the FROZEN MARGARITA was invented in Dallas, Texas in 1971.

Here's part of an article from "Imbibe.com" which covers the "invention" in some detail. Personally, I lean towards the Daisy morphing theory myself, but who knows?

quote:

Once upon a time in Mexico

The origin of the Margarita

Once upon a time in Mexico... someone invented the Margarita. Or did they? Naren Young attempts to untangle the history of this iconic tequila cocktail and trawls the world for modern spins on an international bestseller

Let’s get one thing straight: no-one really knows who invented the Margarita. The first mention in print of a Margarita cocktail is in the December 1953 issue of Esquire magazine where it states simply that, ‘She’s from Mexico, Señores, and she is lovely to look at, exciting and provocative’. That recipe only called for an ounce (30ml) of tequila, a dash of triple sec and the juice of half a lime or lemon. While it was certainly one of the earliest tequila cocktails, the very first – according to drinks historian Greg Boehm – goes to the Young Man’s Delight, mentioned in My New Cocktail Book (1930) by G. F. Steele.

In the iconic Café Royal Cocktail Book, published in 1937, author William J. Tarling mentions a drink called a Picador, which lists as its ingredients tequila, Cointreau and lime juice. Sound familiar?

One could argue (quite rightfully) that the Margarita is simply a tequila Sidecar (with lime instead of lemon), a cocktail which had been in circulation for at least a decade prior to the Margarita’s ascent in the mid 1930s. So while there were no drinks at this time called a Margarita, there were certainly prototypes with the same recipe being made under different names.

I actually find it difficult to believe

that a Mexican invented this drink as Mexico

has never had a cocktail culture

The most common – and perhaps widely believed – story involves an American socialite of the 1940s called Margaret ‘Margarita’ Sames. This Dallas native was known for throwing lavish parties at her Acapulco holiday home and she credits herself (what self-respecting socialite wouldn’t?) with creating the drink in 1948. Though ask yourself: when was the last time you saw such a person pick up a cocktail shaker and morph into a mixologist? Soon Paris Hilton will be claiming she invented the Cosmo. But also negating this story is the undeniable fact that Jose Cuervo was running Margarita
ad campaigns as early as 1945. Sorry, Marge.

Carlos ‘Danny’ Herrera – whose obituary in 1992 states that it was he who created the Margarita – opened the Rancho La Gloria restaurant just south of Tijuana in 1935 with his wife. His family claimed that he invented the drink around 1938 for one of his customers – a showgirl and sometime actress who called herself Marjorie King. Apparently she was allergic to all hard liquor except tequila, and she didn’t like to drink that straight. Hmm, I don’t see how someone would be allergic to all spirits except tequila but let’s not let the truth get in the way of a good yarn.

I actually find it difficult to believe that a Mexican invented this drink although it is completely possible that it was invented on Mexican soil. This is because Mexico has never had a cocktail culture, and to this day Margaritas are never consumed by the locals.

It is quite possible that the drink was created sometime during or just after Prohibition. During the Great Experiment, rich Americans fled their homeland en masse in search of well-created drinks, served in public. Cuba, London and Paris were popular destinations, as was Mexico, especially Tijuana which is just a stone’s throw from the border.

RACEY RITA

One oasis for the rich and famous was the Agua Caliente Race Track, which opened in 1929. Danny Negrete, who worked at the track in 1944, is also credited with creating the drink at the Garci Crespo Hotel in 1936 for his sister-in-law, Margarita, as a wedding present. Or it could have been named for Margarita Cansino (later known as Rita Hayworth) who as a teenager in the early 1930s would perform at, guess where, the Caliente.

Meanwhile, yet another theory concerns the Daisy, a cocktail which had its own time in the limelight during the early 20th century to a point where the Albuquerque Journal of 19 July 1939 called it ‘ubiquitous’.

There have been many incarnations of this once popular libation, one of which included a base spirit mixed with citrus and curaçao. Again, we see our Margarita starting to take shape. Even though there are several mentions of Tequila Daisies as early as 1936 in the Syracuse Herald, almost none of them actually cite a specific recipe. For reasons unknown, the Daisy eventually went to the great cocktail cemetery in the sky but it would seem plausible that the Spanish word for Daisy (Margarita) was simply translated and thenceforth took its place in the cocktail pantheon as the Margarita.

whatever. revisionist history. go to Taxco or read the old books on the days of William Spratling in Taxco. everything isn't on google.

Whatever, if there is any revision going on around here, it is by Bar Berta. Do you think all those guys, including all the Tequila makers, are unaware of Bar Berta's claim and are just ignoring it? Yeah right.

There is absolutely nothing to back up Spratling's later-in-life claim (1967) that he invented the Margarita and he liked to lie, by his own admission. He could have invented it, but it ain't likely and his "silence" on the subject for over 30 years, coupled with his tendencey to lie like a rug, tends to make it his claim highly questionable and it is ignored by the Tequila makers and the tequila "scholars" research. Interesting man, gay or not.

I'm done with the margarita myths, like I said, no one knows and I don't care, believe what you want.

What do you know about tequila that isn't on google or in upstart yuppie Mexican restaurants in East Texas?

From Leslie de Figueroa's classic travelogue, "Taxco, the Enchanted Hill Town" (1960), chapter entitled Cantinas:

"Downtown, however, where things are a bit more informal and have more local color, is the world-famous cantina of Madam Berta. This estimable senora is known as Dona Berta by all and sundry and has her little corner bistro by the church for some odd 40 years. Her claim to fame is a drink of her own invention, known as Tequila Limonada or as a Berta (pronounced Bear-tah). It tastes like a delicious soft drink but after two or three, one receives a big surprise! However, in moderation, it is harmless and some travel agents supply one to each of their clients. There is nothing like it in the whole elbow-bending world."

I'm glad you're done talking about tequila. Me too. Stick with BBQ or defending Obama.

I dunno, I made my first dove hunt in Mexico 50 years ago, and, except for the first one when I was 13 or 14 and only had a beer or two as I recall, have been there dozens of times since, consuming tequila on every trip, so my Tequila experience is pretty substantial. One of my more memorable hunts was shooting black throated bob whites in and around agave plants. One of the best Margaritas I've ever had was in a fishing/hunting camp in La Pesca, but they didn't claim to have invented it. I've sucked the worm out of the mezcal bottle offshore Mazatlan while catching sails, have killed quail by the sack fulls along canales de riego in Tamaulipas, and I could go on for a while, some more obscene than others. At one time I spoke pretty decent conversational Spanish but it's pretty rusty now. I have one of the finest collections of Mexican Republican 8 Reales in the world which doesn't have much to do with tequila but come from Mexico. I also have at least 5 or 6 different kinds of tequila in the house as I write. So my tequila knowledge is pretty substantial, more so than drinking a drink outside of a bar and believing the local cargado de toro. And finally, I HAVE stayed at a Holiday Inn Express!!!

Don't assume you know as much as you think you know because you obviously don't.

I note that blurb you copied didn't say a damn thing about a Tequila Limonada being a Margarita.

Gato,on 5/22 @ 7:00 P.M. there will be a book signing + Q+A with the author of "Prophets Of Smoked Meat,a journey through Texas BBQ." by Daniel Vaughn.This is at Book People on the corner of 6th + Lamar in Austin. bookpeople.com.BTW,free beer from St. Arnold's brewery for the event.2nd floor. Hope to see you there.

I guess what really disappoints me, is that I thought I invented it.

Origin

There is no solid proof who "invented" the Margarita.[3] The most accepted of all stories is that the Margarita was invented in October 1941, at Hussong's Cantina[4] in Ensenada, Mexico, by bartender Don Carlos Orozco.[5] One slow afternoon, Don Carlos was experimenting with mixing new drinks when a prestigious visitor arrived: Margarita Henkel, the daughter of a German ambassador, who lived with her husband Roy Parodi near the city in Rancho Hamilton. Don Carlos offered the drink to Margarita, and named it after her for being the first person to taste it.[5][6] He concocted a mixture of equal parts tequila, orange liqueur, and lime, served over ice in a salt-rimmed glass.[5] However, Don Carlos' recipe was made with Damiana Liqueur, not Cointreau orange liqueur. He may have named his drink after Margarita Henkle, but it is not the drink the world enjoys today. Another common story related the Margarita being invented a few years earlier at the Rancho La Gloria Hotel, halfway between Tijuana and Rosarito, Mexico, by Carlos "Danny" Herrera, for a former Ziegfeld dancer named Marjorie King.[7] This story was related by Herrera and also by bartender Albert Hernandez, who is acknowledged for popularizing the Margarita in San Diego after 1947, at the La Plaza restaurant in La Jolla.[8] Hernandez claimed the owner of La Plaza, Morris Locke, knew Herrera and visited Mexico often.

Another common origin tale begins the cocktail’s history at the legendary Balinese Room in Galveston, Texas where, in 1948, head bartender Santos Cruz created the Margarita for singer Peggy (Margaret) Lee. He supposedly named it after the Spanish version of her name, Margarita, and it’s been a hit ever since. [9]

Another explanation, however, is that the Margarita is merely a popular American drink, the Daisy, remade with tequila instead of brandy, which became popular during Prohibition as people drifted over the border for alcohol. There is an account from 1936 of Iowa newspaper editor James Graham finding such a cocktail in Tijuana, years before any of the other Margarita "creation myths".[10] Margarita is Spanish for Daisy, which is an Irish nickname for Margaret. It is likely that Orozco, Herrara, and Cruz merely perfected the "Tequila Daisy".

A lot of folklore goes with the Margarita. Hard to nail down who might really have been "the one", but I applaud his/her invention.

quote:

Originally posted by NormanConquest:
Gato,on 5/22 @ 7:00 P.M. there will be a book signing + Q+A with the author of "Prophets Of Smoked Meat,a journey through Texas BBQ." by Daniel Vaughn.This is at Book People on the corner of 6th + Lamar in Austin. bookpeople.com.BTW,free beer from St. Arnold's brewery for the event.2nd floor. Hope to see you there.

Assuming the creek don't rise, Adam and I have to make a run to Minnesota (where ever that is.... ) to pick up a vehicle I bought. Hopefully we'll be able to stop by KC on the way.

We'll be leaving about the 15th, so it is going to be tight to get back to the book signing but I'd love to be there. Thanks for the heads up and I'm going to do my best to make it.

My daughter who will be a freshman next year at Texas, just got selected for a 8 hour a day, "Introduction into Architecture" at UT (not the real course name, but close enough for government work) starting 6/10 so I/we'll be in the area more often for a while. Daughter may think she's smart enough and old enough (18) to be self sufficient in Austin, but Daddy doesn't agree. We'll have to get together for sure.

I've told her that training for an Arch. degree consists of learning "Welcome to McDonald's...." but OTOH she thinks she might want to be one, and I've always told them to follow their dreams, so we found this serious intro to Arch course, open by application acceptance only, and I told her she should go and get her feet wet and maybe that would help her decide. WTF, it's only $3500 or so more of Daddy's money. But if you can't spend it for your kids, what good is it?

I don't know how long this will be available but this is an interesting Margarita taste test where the cheapest combination scored highest...... taste test

Gato, the BF and I stopped by the famous Luling city market this weekend while traveling. Long line of yuppies and locals. Not nearly as impressive as I had hoped. I'm still searching for 'the' Q place from the Corpus to College Station area as that's where I travel most often. Yes, I know a/b Mumfords in Victoria---the best I've found so far.

The Huffington read was very interesting. I noticed all tequilas tested were Plata / Silver / Blanco. Personally, I prefer to drink Reposado, Anejo, or Extra, in Oro / Gold for my Margaritas. Smoother taste as far as I can tell.

I understand what they are saying about sweet and syrupy, but frankly I like mine a little sweet; but light on the syrup. It can sure be overdone.

I don't need all the fruit combinations either, and the swirl of Sangria is just another Yuppie concept. To me the Yuppie / California influence has ruined good Mexican food, and Margaritas. I could almost say the same for "Santa Fe". They think if they tack-on the word Santa Fe, and add something stupid, it's supposed to be cool.

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:
I don't know how long this will be available but this is an interesting Margarita taste test where the cheapest combination scored highest...... taste test

I thought that was the purpose of cheap booze. Use it as a mixer.

Keep the good stuff for those that enjoy sipping.

Yep we all know that the mixed business started during prohabition to disguise the awful flavor.As Ruarck's "Old Man" said,that damned man Volstead.

Dona Berta, serving Tequila Limonadas since the 1930s, before the Google experts.

Stupid or stubborn? Hard to say......

Neither, just right.

If you have proof/evidence or a margarita-like cocktail served before the 1930s, I'll accept it. Until then, de Figueroa's book is good enough for me.

Sorry it hasn't been cited on Google yet.

I Wikied the following.

"In the iconic Café Royal Cocktail Book, published in 1937, author William J. Tarling mentions a drink called a Picador, which lists as its ingredients tequila, Cointreau and lime juice. Sound familiar?

One could argue (quite rightfully) that the Margarita is simply a tequila Sidecar (with lime instead of lemon), a cocktail which had been in circulation for at least a decade prior to the Margarita’s ascent in the mid 1930s."

Some people let their ego overload their commonsense leading to stupid displays of emotion, not thought.

Back on thread, although not about Texas. The other "T"; Tennessee. http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2013/...-a-legend/?hpt=hp_c4

quote:

I prefer to drink Reposado, Anejo, or Extra, in Oro / Gold for my Margaritas

Don Julio añejo, enfriado en el congelador durante una semana o más, servido en un vaso frío sobre hielo picado con una cuña de la cal, con un buen puro cubano, la vida es buena.

Enjoy my friends.

Chévere, pero sin cubano por favor!

quote:

Assuming the creek don't rise, Adam and I have to make a run to Minnesota (where ever that is.... ) to pick up a vehicle I bought.

you should have said something. I would have picked it up for you.

Rendezvous in Memphis.

quote:

we found this serious intro to Arch course, open by application acceptance only, and I told her she should go and get her feet wet and maybe that would help her decide. WTF, it's only $3500

That is hilarious. UT will take all of the applications you can pile in your truck for $3500 each.

quote:

Originally posted by SR4759:

quote:

we found this serious intro to Arch course, open by application acceptance only, and I told her she should go and get her feet wet and maybe that would help her decide. WTF, it's only $3500

That is hilarious. UT will take all of the applications you can pile in your truck for $3500 each.

Maybe so, all I know about it is what I read on the application. I do know it's over a month of 9-5 5 day weeks plus MANY after class hours working on their projects. Would you care to back your statement with any facts that you can prove about how many applicants there are and how many are accepted to this course? Otherwise you're just a typical full of shit internet troll. I'll be waiting.......

. Would you care to back your statement with any facts that you can prove about how many applicants there are and how many are accepted to this course? Otherwise you're just a typical full of shit internet troll. I'll be waiting.......[/QUOTE]
AMAZING!! .......but typical.

quote:

Originally posted by conifer:
. Would you care to back your statement with any facts that you can prove about how many applicants there are and how many are accepted to this course? Otherwise you're just a typical full of shit internet troll. I'll be waiting......
AMAZING!! .......but typical.

I'm not sure what your problem is, but if some of the various real world adult words I use from time to time upset your delicate system, I would urge you to put me on ignore.

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:

quote:

Originally posted by conifer:
. Would you care to back your statement with any facts that you can prove about how many applicants there are and how many are accepted to this course? Otherwise you're just a typical full of shit internet troll. I'll be waiting......
AMAZING!! .......but typical.

I'm not sure what your problem is, but if some of the various real world adult words I use from time to time upset your delicate system, I would urge you to put me on ignore.

"adult" words unimpressive; mentality sadly entertaining

I certainly wasn't trying to impress you, why bother? If reading the word "shit" entertains you, giggle on.

TRY real hard to figure out how to use the ignore button. But, just to be clear, I don't give a damn about your opinion or thoughts. I value those who have something to add to the discussion.

I was up in Fairview around noon today so I ran up to McKinney and tried Hutchins BBQ based on a previous comment by Gato.

It had the right mix of pickup trucks in the parking lot. The joint looked the part, in and out. I noticed the plates were a little small. If you wanted sliced beef, you had to wait five minutes, they had a run on the bank.

The Three Meat Plate did load the plate, I'll give that to them. I tried the ribs, beef, and sausage. Being a first-timer I struggled with knowing where the bread, utensils, drinks, and sauce was.

The clientele was a good mix of over-fed looking rednecks, old timers, and people who probably haven't lived in Texas more than a few months, but think they're real Texans.

The ribs were first-class, with sauce or dry; spectacular! I took one bite and saved them for last. They were that worthy.

The beef came in 2nd place. Very tasty. The sauce was very good as well, spicy and not too thin. I don't like BBQ sauce the viscosity of water.

The sausage didn't stand-out, but it is still backing-up on me, so I may re-grade it later.

The two vegetables didn't stand-out either. I had sweet corn, and a mix of macaroni and red beans, my choice to mix.

The dessert was disappointing too; a so-so peach cobbler, and the standard kiddy ice cream machine.

The jalapeño corn bread was just OK.

The wait staff did good. They were having trouble keeping the tables cleared, but they were doing their best. I was there about 12:30, so they were running full-speed ahead.

I'll be living about five miles from Hutchins, so they will get more of my business. I'll probably go ribs/beef the next time.

Their chicken looked good, but if I had that I would have to cut-back on the ribs, and that's not going to happen. (The ham didn't draw my interest.)

For just a coupla bucks more you can get the "all you can eat" and save all that angst.

Good food in general. The banana pudding dessert was excellent when we were there.

Gato,there was a broadcast on the radio today concerning the 5 best in Tx. I was not familiar with the other 4 but am with Lambert's.If memory serves,it's about on 2nd.+ Guadalupe St. Have'nt been there in years.You might want to check that one out when you're visiting your son at U.T.You won't be 10 minutes away.

The latest. http://www.pegasusnews.com/new...d-best-barbecue-tex/

I haven't had the privilege of eating at Franklin's or Pecan Lodge yet, but I completely agree that Snow's and Louie Mueller's should be on the list. Franklin's and Pecan Lodge will be done shortly.

I purchased a vehicle from butchloc, a fellow AR member three months back with the proviso that it might be a month or three before I got up to his town of Fairbault, Minn to pick it up. As usual "a month" quickly became 3 but we finally got it done. I figured I could combine the trip with a couple of Q stops and make it worthwhile. Besides the pleasure of meeting Butchloc, if I knew then what I know now, I'd "stood in bed" and paid someone to haul it for me.

At any rate, if nothing else, one thing this trip has convinced me of is that my upbringing and indoctrination in the E.Texas-Louisiana style of Q (I say E Tx because IMO there are at least 3 distinct styles of Texas Q cooking, more or less reflected in, but by no means definitively, the type of woods they use, that is E uses mostly oak or hickory, central and E tend to a mixture of oak or pecan, and central and west tend to use more mesquite) has spoiled me for being able to fairly evaluate other region's Q cooking. I'm certainly not going to sit here and say Texas has the best Q for everyone, but to my tastes, at the best levels, there is no close second. More on that later.

Adam and I left here after 10 AM last Thursday in a rain which stayed with us for most of the day. We originally were going to leave Wed evening, but the weather was too threatening for me to want to a) leave the family and b) drive in it with a new trailer at night. As it turns out the system produced multiple tornadoes and 6 deaths a couple of hours W of us. Looking at some of those houses, it is incredible that there aren't more dead.

As planned, we arrived in the Kansas City, Mo area about 6 PM (about 450 mi from our home). Since we had been driving non-stop, we elected to have a sit down Q meal instead of our usual pounds to go. Which brings me to our first review.....

52) Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue, 13441 Holmes Rd, Martin City, Mo (Martin City is a suburb of KC more or less just S) (OVERALL GRADE C+) Jack Stack's is almost always mentioned in various "Best Q of KC" lists and in some national composites. Needless to say, it won't be on mine.

We arrived at the door about 6:15 and we surprised to find that there was already a waiting list and the place was packed. This on a Thurs afternoon and in a place that would seat at least 200 by my guess. We waited about 10 minutes and we taken to our table. Interior was very nice, dark wood, kind of reminds me of Peter Lugers in NY. Waiters were very attentive, a good experience minus the food. We ordered 2 2 meat combo plates with the idea that we would taste some of each. One had brisket and "burnt ends". The other had pork ribs and lamb ribs. For those who are not familiar with them, burnt ends, which apparently can come off of just about any piece of Q, but are most commonly off of a brisket are THEORETICALLY the end tip of a brisket which gets more smoke and, because of it's thinner section usually is pretty "done" by the time the rest of the brisket is ready. In Texas it is usually trimmed off and discarded (a mistake IMO) or used in beans. Some places, Louie Mueller's comes to mind, give slices of it to customers as an example of the delights to come.

In fact, what they do in KC because the "burnt ends" are so well known and so much in demand is simply cook another bunch of briskets, probably cooking them a bit more than normal, slice them up and call them "burnt ends". To people who don't know beef or briskets they are. I'm not saying there aren't any "real" burnt ends, I'm sure there are, but we ordered them in 2 well known Q joints and neither of our servings were "ends" or "burnt".

At any rate, in order, the pork ribs were best, and rose to the level of respectably good with a decent glaze and fair taste with a slightly sweet rub, the lamb ribs would have been good, but they coated them with a vinegary sweet sauce (mild but there) which I didn't find pleasing at all, the "burnt ends" rose to the level of a VERY mediocre piece of Texas Q brisket, and the brisket was possibly the worst I've eaten since these reviews began, about on the same level as the one I ate at Soulman's in Rockwall (see review #51 above). It had no flavor and was quite mushy on top of that with not the slightest hint of smoke to be had.

The sauce was a tomato based somewhat spicy (not hot) mixture which I found to be better than average but not outstanding. Adam didn't care for it at all.

About the only thing that was noteworthy about the meal was I had one glass of Boulevard Brewing Co's "Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale" which was a damn fine brew. Unfortunately since I was driving I couldn't have a couple of more to kill the memory of the brisket. Boulevard Brewing is a closely held relatively new brewer in KC. I dunno about the rest of their line, but the above was some fine drinking. Note: their brews have limited availability in Texas and I went out and bought some of what selection was available locally in Texarkana tonight.

I want to point out that Fiorella's Jack Stack has 4 locations and this was not the original, which I usually prefer to try, but driving an 18 foot long car trailer behind a mega-cab Dodge on tight city streets is a long ways from fun so I opted for the easiest to get to from our route.

At any rate, this one was packed at an early hour, which tells me that the locals think WAAAY more of the Q than I do. I am giving it a C+ because of the atmosphere and service, which was very nice to be sure, and the pork ribs but I wouldn't go there again unless I had a designated driver AND someone else was buying.

Next review to follow later.

Doesn't surprise me much. Too bad, but it's rare that I go to a restaurant in a strange city without local knowledge and come away favorably impressed

Amen, on the local knowledge. Worth its weight in gold. Google doesn't count, nor written reviews that you might Google. About as many opposing views as you find on the AR Political Forum.