A margarita is a classic cocktail made with tequila, lime juice, and orange liqueur, typically Cointreau or triple sec. It’s often served with a salt-rimmed glass and can be enjoyed on the rocks, straight up, or blended as a frozen margarita

The Margarita is one of the most popular cocktails in North America—for good reason. Combining the tang of lime and the sweetness of orange liqueur with tequila’s distinctive flavor profile, the classic Margarita remains one of the most recognizable and timeless examples of the sour category of cocktails (those that balance a spirit with acidic citrus juice and a sweetening element). What’s less certain, however, is the drink’s origin.

Some say the cocktail was invented in 1948 in Acapulco, Mexico, when a Dallas socialite combined blanco tequila with Cointreau and lime juice for her guests. Others say that the Margarita, which translates to daisy flower in Spanish, was an inevitable twist on the earlier Daisy cocktail, another category of drinks that follows a template of spirit, citrus, orange liqueur and soda. Make one with tequila, leave out the soda, and you get a Margarita. But regardless of how or when it was invented, the Margarita has earned its way into drinkers’ hearts.

When choosing your tequila, quality is key. Opt for a blanco made from 100% blue agave. If it doesn’t say this on the label, it’s mixto—a tequila composed of up to 49% mystery sugars. And although many people still reach for premade sour mix, using fresh lime juice will result in a vastly superior drink, and is the only way to make a quality Margarita.