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Mariano Mar tinez Invented the Margarita Machine
B Y M I C H A E L C H AT F I E L D
Photo:
Courtesy
of
Mariano
Martinez
I
t's worth noting that two innovations that transformed the bartending industry were birthed by musi-
cians. The first was the Waring Blender, named for famous Big Band Era bandleader Fred Waring. The
second was created as a solution to a shortcoming of the first. On May 11, 1971, Mariano Martinez
debuted his first frozen margarita machine at Mariano's Hacienda, his Dallas Tex-Mex restaurant. The margarita
was changed forever, and the machine became part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian's National
Museum of American History—right next to Julia Childs' kitchen.
"With drinks, it's an algorithm, a precise measurement," Martinez says. His invention
enabled him to serve a consistent margarita to his patrons time after time.
C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 1 161
Photo:
Wanda
Martinez/Courtesy
of
Mariano
Martinez
