Who invented the first frozen margarita machine used at a Tex-Mex restaurant?

Mariano Martinez invented the first frozen margarita machine used at a Tex-Mex restaurant.

In 1971, Martinez adapted a soft-serve ice-cream machine into a device that could continuously chill and blend margaritas. He installed it at Mariano’s Mexican Cuisine in Dallas, Texas, helping make the frozen version practical for restaurant service.

Martinez’s machine became famous because it replaced labor-intensive preparation with a consistent, rapidly served drink. The original machine is now held by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

The invention did not establish who first mixed the margarita itself; that origin remains disputed. Martinez is specifically associated with mechanizing the frozen restaurant version, not with creating every form of the cocktail.