Bartender Shares ‘Bartending Secret.’ If You Like Margaritas, You May Not Want to Hear This

There are few things people dislike more than for their reality to be shattered. Shayla Sinclair (@shaylaalala) has been a bartender for almost 10 years, and with just nine words, she sent the internet into a tizzy. The Words: “There is no such thing as a skinny margarita.”

The defense reactions in the comments were swift. People gave their recipes for the skinny margarita as proof that the cocktail does exist. Commenters started responding to each other, letting them know their recipe was wrong or right. Some proclaimed bartenders chimed in, seeming to confirm that people do not know what a skinny margarita is. Others outright admitted they did not know what a skinny margarita was.

One user said, “She’s right because it’s no longer a margarita,” as though Sinclair was doing a riddle me this.

The discourse went on for 621 comments without an agreement on which recipe was correct, naturally. And perhaps, that is the crux of it.

Do ‘Skinny Margaritas’ Exist?

Apparently, people are very passionate about their skinny margaritas. A regular margarita is made with Blanco tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur, and agave to taste (optional).

According to the comment section, a skinny margarita is made using tequila, lime juice and or orange juice; triple sec, agave or simple syrup; and sparkling water. Some combination of those ingredients is needed for a skinny margarita—all or some.

However, Sinclair clarified what she meant in a follow-up video.

“What you guys are calling a skinny margarita is a ranch water. That’s it,” she says.

Sinclair isn’t also the first bartender to claim that “skinny margaritas” don’t exist.

Ranch water is a cocktail with Texas origins. It consists of tequila, lime juice, and Topo Chico, or any other sparkling water. In that ingredient list, it is missing the one thing that most commenters named as part of the ingredient lineup, agave or simple syrup.

“No matter what recipe you put out there, someone is going to tell you it’s wrong,” said another user.

How Was The Margarita Created?

Margaritas are a battle-tested, classic cocktail, though the origin of who made it first is muddled. The cocktail was created between the 1930s and 1940s by one of four people. The recipe was simple: Tequila, lime, triple sec, and a salt rim.

Though it is not pinned down who was first, what is known is that the margarita rose to fame in 1953 when Esquire Magazine crowned it drink of the month. The cocktail got elevated in 1971 when Mariano Martinez, a Dallas restaurateur, bought an old soft serve ice cream machine and popularized the frozen margarita. (The ice cream machine now sits in the Smithsonian). Then in 1977, Jimmy Buffet’s smash hit “Margaritaville” cemented the cocktail as a mainstay in American pop culture. In the 1980s sugar-filled pre-made margarita mixes with different flavors hit store shelves.

So, How Was The ‘Skinny Margarita’ Created?

As with most creations, time and culture dictate its evolution. That holds true for the margarita. So, in the 2000s, when health consciousness became a fad, naturally people were looking for ways to make alcoholic beverages healthier, which just meant less caloric. Insert Bethenny Frankel. Between 2008 and 2009, as a “The Real Housewives of New York City” cast member, she coined the term “skinny margarita” and turned it into a household brand.

Frankel’s recipe was fresh lime juice, tequila, and a splash of triple sec (for a lighter flare, club soda was optional).

One commenter put it plainly, “A skinny margarita is just a margarita that is made the way margaritas are supposed to be made.” This may be the only user who got it right. A skinny margarita is just a margarita that got back to basics.

But just as there is confusion about who invented the margarita, it seems on brand that there is also confusion in its evolution.

BroBible reached out to Sinclair for comment.