“The World’s First Frozen Margarita Machine” Turns 55
“The World’s First Frozen Margarita Machine” Turns 55
May 11 Marks the Day Mariano Martinez’s Dallas-Made Invention Brought Tex-Mex’s Favorite Beverage to the Masses
With his father’s margarita recipe and what he had “rigged up”, Mariano Martinez helped Latin culture explode worldwide in the subsequent years. By the mid-70s, the margarita had replaced the martini as the number one cocktail in America. By the late 70s, salsa had replaced ketchup as the most popular condiment. Today, frozen margarita machines can be found in 47 countries.
DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a “On This Day in History” worthy of a “salud”, Monday, May 11, 2026 will mark the 55th anniversary of the debut of “The World’s First Frozen Margarita Machine”. Dallas’ Mariano Martinez adapted a Slurpee machine to make frozen margaritas more efficiently at Mariano’s Mexican Cuisine, which it did for 34 years before being retired to the collection of the National Museum of American History, part of the Smithsonian Institution.
In a “On This Day in History” worthy of a “salud”, Monday, May 11, 2026 will mark the 55th anniversary of the debut of “The World’s First Frozen Margarita Machine”.
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Born in Dallas in 1944, Martinez and his family were the first Mexican-American family to move into Dallas’ Lakewood when he was five. At 25, he opened Mariano’s Mexican Cuisine after selling everything he owned to obtain a Small Business Administration loan to open. Four days after opening, facing the operational impact of making so many frozen margaritas in blenders, he was inspired at a 7-Eleven after a chance glance at a Slurpee machine.
With his father’s margarita recipe and what he had “rigged up”, Martinez helped Latin culture explode worldwide in the subsequent years. By the mid-70s, the margarita had replaced the martini as the number one cocktail in America. By the late 70s, salsa had replaced ketchup as the most popular condiment. Today, frozen margarita machines can be found in 47 countries.
The increase in demand for the, at the time, largely unknown Mexican spirit tequila, led the tequila producers of Mexico to recognize Martinez for having done more for tequila than any other person in the world. Martinez’s creation is also credited for helping popularize Tex-Mex culture and cuisine, the now staple of American patio-sitting.
“The World’s First Frozen Margarita Machine” was added to the halls of the Smithsonian after curator Dr. Rayna Green was told about the origin story while researching an exhibit on Tex-Mex food – a Texas tall tale that she then painstakingly researched and successfully confirmed.
Today, Martinez owns and operates five Mexican restaurants in North Texas that employ more than 600 people and serve 1.3 million guests per year. Each delivers the same iconic Tex-Mex tradition, lively ambiance, and handcrafted margaritas Mariano started serving over half a century ago serving as testament to Martinez’s legacy.