National Margarita Day 2013: Annual Holiday Celebrated With Lime, Tequila & Excitement Despite Odd Timing

By Jeff Stone | February 22 2013 1:34 PM

Would it make sense to place a National Sledding Day in the middle of August? It seems that line of logic was in effect when National Margarita Day was designated on Feb. 22, when much of the country would probably love the summery drink but are still enduring the last weeks of winter’s drudgery.

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“America loves margaritas. It’s the number-one selling cocktail in the country,” said one mixologist. “There’s a holiday for almost everything, so how cool is it that there’s one for a cocktail?”

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This year, though, there’s no shortage of recipes and Jimmy Buffett songs to keep warm from the cold outside.

Perhaps that’s just the reason the founding fathers (well, not quite) deemed late February fit for National Margarita Day. After the holiday stress turns into the frigid winds of January, maybe we all just need an excuse to indulge in the sugary alcoholic drink with images of beach volleyball dancing in our heads.

Margaritas, while traditionally associated with Mexico and the Caribbean, are native to the United States. The popular story, as noted by the New York Daily News, is that a Dallas socialite named Margaret “Margarita” Sames mixed fresh lime juice with garnish and tequila at her vacation home in Acapulco, Mexico.

Since that day in 1948, the drink has only gained popularity, according to Kyle Ford, a New York City mixologist.

“America loves margaritas. It’s the No. 1-selling cocktail in the country,” he said. “There’s a holiday for almost everything, so how cool is it that there’s one for a cocktail?”

While Sames’ original creation is still the popular choice, most bars offer a wider selection that diverts from the old-fashioned lime-and-tequila recipe. Countless watering holes around the country are offering happy-hour specials on Friday. The Blockheads chain in New York City, however, offers a drink that has been compared to a margarita on steroids.

The Mexican Bulldog, which is popular elsewhere in the U.S. with a different namesake, is made with a simple recipe.

“Take an ice-cold Coronita and submerge it (neck first) into a frozen, delicious margarita,” Blockheads’ website reads. “Let the two get to know each other, and do not remove bottle from cup. Prepare to meet the bulldog.”

While that recipe may sound like a too much of a headache for Saturday morning, millions of Americans have taken to social media to celebrate National Margarita Day. The phrase was trending nationally on Twitter and had garnered almost 40,000 likes on Facebook. What it all comes down to, according to mixologist Kyle Ford, is the drink itself.

“It’s extremely well-balanced. It’s strong, sweet and sour,” Ford said. And that sets you up for an infinite amount of variations.”