Conflicting lore surrounds the birth of the margarita cocktail. One tale credits its invention to Carlos “Danny” Herrera at his restaurant Rancho La Gloria, between Rosarito and Tijuana, in 1938. Another claims that the beverage was created by bartender Don Carlos Orozco in Ensenada in 1941 and named after a customer.

Or was it in Juárez, at now-closed Tommy’s Place Bar, that Francisco “Pancho” Morales made the first margarita in 1942?

“The origins are murky, but it’s a staple in Mexican cuisine just like tortillas,” said Grace Perez, the bar lead at Damian, the Arts District restaurant from Mexico City-based chef Enrique Olvera.

A classic margarita (also the word for the flower daisy) has just three ingredients: tequila, orange liqueur and lime. It can be served over ice or blended, usually with salt rimmed around the glass.

“It’s just a great cocktail that you can enjoy with anything,” said Perez. “And it’s the backbone of a lot of cocktails that you see right now.”

Here in L.A., where you’ll find endless expressions of Mexican cuisine, local restaurants and bars are finding new ways to reimagine the classic margarita. At Damian, Perez uses the margarita menu to highlight the varied qualities of Mexico’s most traditional agave spirit.

“We pair each margarita with its own tequila because all tequila doesn’t taste the same. They all have their own nuances and flavor notes,” said Perez.

Just added to the menu this summer is El Coco, a margarita inspired by the culinary traditions of Veracruz. It uses an espadin from Agua Del Sol as the base spirit, with soursop-infused rice vodka, coconut, lime and agave.

“I really wanted to highlight these parts of Mexico that people don’t really think about,” said Perez. “The coconut and soursop pairing is something that’s common [in] Veracruz, where it’s more tropical.”

That’s just a taste of what you’ll find across our local bar scene. There are classic Mexican restaurants that have perfected their margarita recipes over decades, and newer craft cocktail bars adding their own flourishes to the three-ingredient foundation. From happy hour deals to margarita flights and frozen concoctions perfect for summer, these are L.A.’s most delicious and creative margaritas.