Communities covered in this edition ... Richardson Allen Farmers Branch West Spring Valley Pipes fall from truck, Council candidates see Metro rezoning plan OK'd. 2B killing man. 2B city in different lights. 7B ZheALtlas 3111)114'1g Nets Section B Wednesday, May 11, 201I INNOVATIONS Restaurant manager Justin Hill Margarita machine shook up history pours a fro- zen margari- ta at Mari- Invented 40 years ago in coction to the nation's most popular can restaurant was melting before ano's, home alcoholic beverage with his inven- his eyes. Martinez couldn't master of the frozen Dallas, it put Tex-Mex, tion in Dallas of the frozen margari- the icy consistency of frozen marga- margarita tequila in the limelight ta machine. ritas, much to the dismay of his cus- machine. Forty years later, Martinez's in- tomers. Owner Mari- By MATTHEW HUISMAN vention has increased the U.S. de- With his business on the rocks ano Marti- Washington Bureau and facing a coup from his bartend-
[email protected] mand for tequila and contributed to nez invented the widespread popularity of Tex- ers, who complained the slushy con- the machine WASHINGTON — He may not Mex cuisine. coctions were too time-consuming 40 years have created the first margarita, but It was 1971, and he was a 26-year- and complicated to make, Martinez ago. Mariano Martinez transformed the old Dallas restaurateur whose drink from a border cantina con- dream of operating his own Mexi- See MARGARITA Page 6B Vernon Bryant/Staff Photographer Margarita machine shook up history Continued from PagelB "It's really important because for Mexican Tex-Mex "basically floated out of the Southwest on a sea of margaritas was desperately searching for a manufacturers, the margarita becomes the drink and Coronas," said Jeffrey Pilcher, a remedy.