Francisco Morales; Credited With Inventing Margarita

Francisco “Pancho” Morales, 78, the man largely credited with inventing the tequila-based cocktail called the margarita. According to legend, Morales was working in Tommy’s Bar in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on July 4, 1942, when a woman asked for a drink he had never heard of. Pretending expertise, he whipped up a cocktail of tequila, Cointreau and lime juice. The customer loved it and asked Morales what the drink was called. The margarita was born. Over the years, several people claimed to have invented the drink; but Mexico’s official news agency Notimex and many experts say that Morales has the strongest claim. Morales later emigrated to the United States and worked as a milkman for 25 years. On Dec. 30 in El Paso, Texas.