It did not need Jimmy Buffett to make it world-famous; but Im sure it helped.

Those who claim the credit for having created Americas favorite cocktail are scattered all over the United States and Mexico tales abound and there are too many for us to get into here. Whoever created it did a great job and its been around since at least the 1930s in its various delightful incarnations. The margarita lives and thrives on decks and backyards all over the world whether its made with margarita mixes from the store or built from scratch with dedication and love.

Everyones got a favorite recipe for margaritas but lets go back to the beginnings of it all. It seems that the original and authentic margarita was mixed something like this.

-one and a half ounces of tequila;
-one ounce of orange liqueur;
-half an ounce of lime juice;

That is a basic margarita.

But as were making it for our own enjoyment and perhaps that of a few really close friends, lets do the job right and use the best possible ingredients.

Tequila. There are many tequilas; some good and some just okay. Lets get the good stuff for our margaritas. The tequila needs to be made with agave as the sweetener agave is a succulent plant, growing in Mexico and around the south-east United States and is an essential ingredient in a good tequila. The difference in taste is noticeable.

Orange liqueur. You can use pretty well any one of them, but Cointreau is the best as it injects that little taste of sweetness into your margarita. And finally, the lime. This must be freshly squeezed and should be of the Key variety. And heres how we mix our margarita.

First, chill the margarita glass well pop it in the freezer for a minute or three. Hit the rim (or not depends on your taste) with salt - Pour the ingredients into a well-chilled cocktail shaker filled with crushed ice. Shake well for a minute or more and strain into a cold margarita glass! Hang a slice of fresh lime on the rim and youve just made yourself a perfect, classic margarita. And to make an equally perfect batch of them, use a ratio of 3 parts tequila, two parts Cointreau and one part lime.

Why the salt? Well, today, its not considered a margarita unless its rimmed with salt. Legend has it that it was added in the olden days to disguise the taste of the tequila which was pretty harsh back then and could result in severe injury. Personal preference of course will play a role in this, but generally, the drink doesnt need the salt try it without! A good middle-ground would be to salt only half the rim on the glass and leave the choice up to whoevers going to drink it. But regardless of where you salt your glass, make very sure it stays on the outside. Otherwise after a few sips, youre going to end up with a very salty drink.

So, getting back to our subject - how did our classic margarita evolve into that frozen concoction that helps us hang on? In 1971, Mariano Martinez, a Dallas restaurateur invented a machine which could make frozen margaritas - and Jimmy Buffetts dream came true! But you dont need a margarita machine just use your blender. And get creative - take a walk on the wild side and try adding different liqueurs to the tequila blue curacao will give you a blue margarita and if you rim the glass with sugar, instead of salt, you have a simply wonderful hip-to-sip drink in your hand. And theres probably another one or two in the blender!

The classic margarita weve just made provides a wonderful mixture of flavors. The spicy, earthy features of the tequila, the sweet and zesty notes from the orange liqueur and the zing from the lime all come together to remind you exactly what a good cocktail is all about. If youve only ever had a frozen margarita, or your tequila experiences involve shot glasses in college, give this a go and see what a true margarita is really all about.

Will it go with your cheeseburger in Paradise? Jimmy Buffett certainly seemed to think so at any rate, theres no tale of a margarita lousing it up!