Honouring the iconic tequila cocktail, Patrón Tequila kicked off 2019’s ‘Margarita of the Year’ campaign on International Margarita Day, starting a global search for the perfect twist on the classic Margarita recipe. Now in its fifth year, the bar has been raised with eight new recipes from across the globe, each offering a refreshing twist on the iconic cocktail.

In 1939, the first Margarita was claimed to have been made at Tail O’The Cock in Los Angeles and has since come to be one of the most admired cocktails on the menu. Fifty years later in 1989, Patrón Tequila was born, introducing the world to ultra-premium tequila and transforming tequila cocktail culture.

When bartenders in Mexico adopted the New Yorker’s Whisky Daisy in the early 1900’s with a tequila twist and Spanish translation, they created the Tequila Daisy – Spanish for Margarita. Around mid-century, another bartender in Texas claimed to have made a drink for singer Peggy (Margaret) Lee, naming it after the Spanish version of her name. In the 1970’s, a Texas Monthly column claims Francisco Morales invented the drink at Tommy’s Place in Mexico.

Whilst there are multiple stories of its origin, one thing is certain, the perfect Margarita is made with the ultra-premium Patrón Tequila. The Margarita of the Year campaign is celebrating this cherished cocktail by welcoming bartenders from eight cities across the globe, stretching from Miami to Hong Kong, and inviting them to design eight different Margarita recipes using a variety of fresh flavour combinations inspired by their local region. In hope of being awarded 2019’s Margarita of the Year, the bartenders will be ramping up support in their hometowns to encourage votes for their unique recipes, while showcasing just how versatile a Margarita can be.

“The Margarita has been a classic cocktail in the minds of drinkers for a very long time.” says Lee Applbaum, Patrón’s Global Chief Marketing Officer. “We wanted to challenge bartenders across the world to prove that however classic the Margarita is, it is an incredibly versatile cocktail. With the unlimited amount of twists you can put on a Margarita, there is one thing that always remains the same – Ultra-premium Patrón Tequila is always the key to a simply perfect Margarita.

Each recipe and instructional tutorials about how to prepare them at home are available on the Patrón Cocktail Lab experience and the Margarita of the Year website, which features videos and interviews from the participating bartenders (filmed recently at the Hacienda Patrón distillery in Jalisco, Mexico). The site contains downloadable recipe cards as well as education about the history and evolution of this famous cocktail.

1. Chicago, Illinois, Jacyara de Oliveira – Paseo Margarita Created with coconut and basil 

2. Oakland, California, Samuel Jimenez – Pasifika Margarita Created with coconut and pineapple 

3. New York City, US, Natalie Jacob – Golden Hour Margarita Created with pineapple and tumeric 

4. Miami, Florida, Tyler Kitzman – Flamingo Park Margarita Created with grapefruit 

5. Guadalajara, Mexico, Adrian Rosales – Margarita Caliente Created with passionfruit and chipotle 

6. Rome, Italy, Cristian Bugiada – Margarita Amore Created with apple and chilli pepper 

7. Hong Kong, Jay Khan – Dynasty Margarita Created with lychee and ginger

8. Calgary, Canada, Makina Labrecque – Wild Rose Margarita Created with juniper and rose

“I have the fantastic opportunity to taste the incredible interpretations of the Margarita that these eight bartenders have created!” says José Luis Leon of Mexico City, whose celery, elderflower and lime “Verde Margarita” was selected as last year’s Margarita of the Year. “Each of the recipes have been created with inspiration from the bartender’s respective cities and I’m excited to see how they bring each of them to life through their cocktails and the unique combinations of ingredients in them. Though it will be a hard decision to decide between these simply perfect Margaritas, I’m confident that the public will pick the best Margarita that is truly worthy of the title, Margarita of the Year.”

Vote for your favourite cocktail via: 

• MargaritaOfTheYear.com until 25th April just in time for Cinco de Mayo. 

• Hashtag the margarita name in your social posts on Instagram and Twitter 

• Share content across your social channels – shares and re-tweets equal one vote each