Why would you struggle with a blender and fussy little shot glasses of ingredients when you could pour whole bottles of tequila into a vat that spurts out industrial-scale coils of boozy deliciousness? You wouldn’t, of course, if you were lucky enough to exist after the invention of the frozen margarita machine.

In 1971, Mariano Martinez sank his life savings into opening a restaurant in Dallas. On opening night, he wore a giant sombrero and a bandito costume, and the restaurant was a smash hit. But a customer complained about the margaritas, and the bartender threatened to quit—how was he supposed to make so many margaritas in a blender? He couldn’t keep up with the thirsty Dallasites demanding Mariano’s father’s secret recipe!

Mariano was happy for his little restaurant’s success but worried, so worried. He stopped in a 7-Eleven and noticed—as if lit from heaven, a choir of angels singing—the Slurpee machine. And he knew. He knew. But 7-Eleven wouldn’t sell him a machine. They said he was crazy; everybody knows you can’t freeze alcohol, it would never work. Undeterred, Mariano bought a used soft-serve ice cream machine and got to work tinkering with the recipe. Sugar was the key that unlocked the portal to an entire country, and eventually an entire planet, entering a glorious new phase of existence. Every strawberry daiquiri, every piña colada, every frosé, and all those sweet, sweet hangovers are thanks to the brilliance and determination of Mariano Martinez. God bless him.

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Links:

• Mariano Martinez, Máquina de Margaritas Heladas, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

  
  

• “Mariano Martinez and the World's First Frozen Margarita Machine,” by Rayna Green, The Atlantic, February 15, 2012

  
  

• “The Texas Origins of the Frozen Margarita Machine,” by Stephen Lindsey, Texas Highways, July 2021

  
  

• “The Uniquely Texan Origins of the Frozen Margarita,” by Franz Lidz, Smithsonian Magazine, July 2018

This post is part of The American 250, a series featuring 250 objects made by Americans, located in America, in honor of the country's 250th anniversary. 250 words on 250 works, from January 1 to December 31, 2026.

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