The shining spirit of every margarita is tequila. This centuries-old liquor is distilled from the sap of the blue agave – a succulent that takes up to a decade to mature. Native to the Mexican state of Jalisco, it produces a flower stalk the ancient Aztecs first used to make pulque, a ceremonial beverage.

After the Spanish conquistadors in 16th-century Mexico ran out of brandy, they distilled the Aztek pulque into a lively liquor. Distilleries soon sprang up around the town of Tequila, for which the spirit was named. But centuries passed before the margarita made its debut.

Legends abound as to its origin – most likely in a Mexican hotel bar in the late 1930s as a tribute to a beauty named Margarita. The original recipe has always been ripe for experimentation, so go ahead and whip up your own signature margarita. ¡Salud!