The most important day of the year rests in February.
It’s not a day honoring a president or the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. It’s not National Science Day or even Valentine’s Day. (Thank you in advance, Roger, for showering me with gifts.) It’s more than a day — it’s an idea, a cultural touchpoint, and a scrumptious noun that thrives in celebration.
National Margarita Day is Feb. 22.
Collective memories and epic moments invite participation and conversation, and, like overindulging in alcohol, inspire big voices to overshare. People who’ve had rough mornings after splurging on margs might have dire warnings against them, and people who love a good margarita are boosters with blinders on.
I’m a fan of the cocktail, so you can imagine my elation as I was gearing up to honor the day and read about the health benefits of tequila.
Intoxicating, mouthwatering and healthy only seem to go together in my imagination. I heard red wine is healthy and then I read the small print: You have to drink a lethal load of wine to get health benefits.
But this must be different because tequila is special. Right? It’s in a class of its own, so it must be true that tequila:
- Lowers cholesterol!
- Aids digestion!
- Controls blood sugar levels!
- Wards off dementia!
Who among us isn’t revving up a blender right now?
I can’t be the only one saying a special prayer for the agave plant and searching for a home in Mexico next to a distillery!
I’m a believer. I’m open to possibility and want to follow the crowd on this good news. Why wouldn’t the thing that’s going to save me from diabetes and dementia be a prickly little desert plant? But every too-good-to-be-true story requires a pause and a fact check, so before I packed my bathing suit, I lifted the barrel lid and did my homework.
The fermentation process wrings health benefits out of agave. The stuff in the plant that’s known to do good things for our bodies doesn’t make it to the bottle. Tequila does have less sugar than other choices, but that’s only if you drink it straight. The social part of having a margarita, community and laughter, might be a powerful force against dementia, but alcohol consumption is bad for us no matter which alcohol we choose.
If the healthy miracle of tequila is a mirage, how is the news making the rounds?
Is it marketing from the tequila lobby, enthusiastic tequila fans who didn’t read further than a clickbait headline, or maybe someone who gets a kick out of sharing alternative facts?
Margaritas create the perfect blend for misinformation. The idea of health benefits from imbibing is sensational, so we click and share. When our share gets shared, we get a social media high. A dollop of dopamine bathes our brains, so we do it again and again, and before you know it, a lie has its shoes on.
The best lies all start with a smidge of truth that gets twisted. They rest in a mushy middle where they’re not flat-out falsehoods, but if you dig a little, you’ll find out they’re not sitting steady on solid fact.
These moments demand a lot from us. Here I am up to my knees in research when I just want to book my flight to Mexico. I want to take this news and tuck it away so I can sip a margarita and feel good about myself for doing it.
Thankfully, I didn’t make any life-altering, dangerous decisions based on misinformation. I didn’t replace milk with tequila in my cereal bowl and I’m still quenching thirst with water and waiting until it’s 5 o’clock (somewhere) to have a margarita.
Even the margarita origin story is shrouded in mystery, and there are lots of people staking claims and weaving tales.
Some say the margarita is the offspring of the daisy, a category of cocktails made from a spirit and citrus. “Daisy” is “margarita” in Spanish. There’s a story of a bartender making a daisy for his girlfriend, grabbing the wrong bottle (tequila) for the drink, and naming his happy accident after her.
Some say an American socialite invented it for party guests. Others believe a showgirl inspired it and gave it its name. There’s also a story about a bartender who created the margarita in Juarez and then quit bar life to be a milkman in the United States.
Margaritas are one of those things that are known just enough — have enough history made up of loose facts and myth, have ardent supporters who care and share — to brew conspiracies.
Here’s what I know for sure: I like margaritas, and I like having one with friends who like them too. I’m going to enjoy the occasional marg safe in the knowledge that moderation and laughter are good for me. And I’m going to lean into antioxidants! Pomegranate margaritas, a particularly tasty treat, may also be particularly healthful. Studies show that pomegranate juice may fight cancer, protect your arteries, lower cholesterol and protect your brain. And pomegranate juice may help sunscreen work better.
How much do I have to drink to get any of Pom’s promise? I have no idea, but I’m willing to test it. Or maybe this is a good place to share some of my dad’s wisdom: Please make responsible choices, because being stupid erases the benefits of nearly everything.
And that’s a fact you can count on.
