EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – It was 2020. Streets were empty, non-essential businesses closed and everyone who ventured outside had to wear a mask because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It wasn’t a propitious environment for one of Juarez’s most iconic tourist attractions to celebrate its centennial. But five years later, the City of Juarez is planning a street fest centered around the reputed birthplace of the margarita.
Saturday’s party to celebrate the 105th anniversary of the Kentucky Club will include live music, DJs and the participation of 20 other businesses along Avenida Juarez, said Tania Maldonado, the city’s economic development director. It is part of the “Juarez por la Juarez” campaign.
A partial closure of the avenue is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. with traffic officers assigned to redirect vehicles from Calle Mejia to the Paso del Norte international bridge.
The street fest is part of a broader effort by Juarez officials to lure back visitors who may have stopped coming for various reasons over the years. The city earlier announced a new push for medical providers anchored around the upcoming Medical Tourism Congress.
“The Kentucky is part of border history. It has seen (numerous) artists, actors and international personalities,” Kentucky Club owner Sergio Peña said at news conference at Juarez City Hall this week. “We want to share that history with our people, with El Paso and Juarez, with a night of music, camaraderie and tradition.”
The margarita is one of Mexico’s best-known cocktails. It is made with white tequila, orange liqueur and lime juice. At least three people claimed they invented the margarita.
One was Tijuana restaurant owner, Carlos Herrera circa 1938, and another was Dallas socialite Margaret Sames in 1948. The third was Kentucky Club bartender Pancho Morales, who crafted the first such drink in 1942.
Some historians suggest the margarita is a variation of the American daisy of the 19th century and that it was introduced in Mexico around the time of Prohibition in the U.S.
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