The First-Ever Frozen Margarita Was Made In An Unexpected Way

The margarita has been an iconic cocktail for generations, frequently topping lists of the best sellers in bars. The exact origin of the margarita is a bit blurry, but we do know how an incredibly popular update on the beverage, the frozen margarita, came to be. The slushy tequila cocktail was born in Texas. The preceding step that made this bar revolution possible happened in 1937, when the Waring Blendor debuted at a restaurant industry trade show in Chicago, and people began blending frozen cocktails.

In East Dallas, Mariano Martinez was working at his father's Mexican restaurant, El Charo. You couldn't serve liquor drinks in restaurants in Texas at the time, but Martinez's father whipped tequila up into the almost dessert-like concoction for his guests using a blender with a recipe he learned in San Antonio as far back as 1938. It employed blue agave tequila, triple sec, muddled limes, and ice with simple syrup, which helps create the slushy consistency since higher-proof spirits like tequila won't totally freeze.

Martinez noted how much guests loved the frozen margarita, and how it helped Americans understand and love Mexico's tequila. When he opened his own place, Mariano's Mexican Cuisine, after Dallas had legalized liquor drinks in restaurants, he started blending up frozen margs, too, and the demand was huge from opening night. In fact, the demand was so big that Martinez quickly realized a simple blender couldn't keep up. The first frozen margarita machine was born, originally as an ice cream machine churning out the cocktail.

Upon opening the restaurant, Martinez's bartender wasn't able to blend fast enough to meet orders — he was falling behind and not sticking to the recipe so he could toss ingredients in as fast as possible, creating less than stellar margs. Martinez knew he needed to be able to make more frozen margaritas faster. He bought a used soft-serve ice cream machine that was able to efficiently churn out big batches that were still perfectly balanced with of all the right ingredients. Essentially, he had perfected the first real margarita machine. His own version lasted for a decade and is now in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, and it inspired machines to be made for the sole purpose of making frozen cocktails.

Today, bars and restaurants can simply buy frozen margarita machines from restaurant supply stores for prices between about $1,000 and $3,000. It's not uncommon to see one of these machines perched on top of a bar, slushing up and serving out tasty frozen margs with ease. Because this process has become so streamlined thanks to Martinez's resourcefulness, bartenders have a bit more time on their hands to brainstorm new, delicious riffs and upgrades on margaritas, like a frozen strawberry marg, or a frozen margarita with watermelon and mezcal. Patrons can enjoy everything from guava to mango jalapeño margaritas — though there's still nothing like a classic frozen marg.