Skinny Margaritas

A variation of the crowd favourite Margaritas, Skinny Margaritas have less alcohol in them, and overall, contain less calories, hence the name. To make them, combine silver tequila, fresh lime juice, fresh orange juice, salt, and some agave nectar. Add salt to the rim of the glass you’re going to use, pour in the drink, and garnish with a lime wedge.

A commercial endeavour, the Skinny Margarita was founded by Bethenny Frankel as part of her cocktail line Skinnygirl Cocktails. Under the company Skinnygirl, she launched a pre-packaged margarita line in 2009 and the brand quickly grew to include other cocktails. Frankel, besides being a businesswoman, is also a television star, known for her appearance on The Real Housewives of New York City. She’s also a philanthropist and author.

Frankel’s variation comes to a drink whose history is heavily disputed, with several people claiming to have founded it —as often happens with very popular things. One story goes that Carols “Danny” Herrera thought up the drink at his restaurant Rancho La Gloria around 1938. He was inspired by one of his customers, an aspiring actress called Marjorie King, who was allergic to all hard liquor except tequila. To make the liquor easier for her to consume, he added the elements of the shot—salt and a lime wedge—and created a refreshing cocktail.

Another person contending for the inventor title is Margarita Sames, a Dallas socialite who says she created the drink in 1948 for her friends at her Acapulco vacation home. Her guest, Tommy Hilton, later added the drink to his hotel chain’s bar menu. However, three years before Sames allegedly invented the drink, in 1945, Jose Cuervo imported the drink with the tagline “Margarita: it’s more than a girl’s name”. This is laid out in Anthony Dias Blue’s book The Complete Book of Spirits.

However confusing these stories might be, there’s certain clarity about the world’s first frozen margarita machine. It was invented in 1971 by restaurateur Mariano Martinez, and acquired by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in 2005.