Thursday is National Margarita Day and while last year this holiday may have gone unnoticed in our house, my wife tried her first margarita when we were in Mexico with friends last May and hasn’t looked back since.

Margaritas have that effect on people. A recent survey showed that it’s the most popular cocktail in the U.S. favored by 60 percent of us who imbibe. So in the spirit of giving my readers what they want, and keeping my wife happy, I thought I’d give you some fun facts about margaritas and suggestions for where to grab one here in Lake Oswego.

1. The United States is the world’s #1 tequila market.
2. One thing that contributes to the cost of your margarita is the fact that it takes at least eight years for the Blue Agave plant to mature enough to be used to make tequila.
3. The biggest margarita on record was an 8,500 gallon cocktail made at Margaritaville in Las Vegas in 2011.
4. The first frozen margarita machine was invented by Mariano Martinez in 1971, working off a soft serve ice cream maker.
5. Americans drink an average of 185,000 margaritas per hour. I imagine it’s quite a few more during Happy Hours.
6. Applebee’s ran a Dollarita special last October in celebration of National Neighborhood Month featuring dollar margaritas. A video showing them being made in a bucket with lots of water went viral and soured a lot of fans, but something tells me the price point kept bringing them in.
7. Some people treat margaritas like a soup pot and throw anything in it. How else do you explain these variations: Basilrita, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Candy Corn and Caprese (with balsamic vinaigrette!)
8. Frozen or on the rocks? A recent poll showed 91.8% of the votes going to #OnTheRocks, with 8.2% voting for #MakeMineSlushy (my wife falls in the latter category).
9. Margarita humor: “Some people need to be taken with a grain of salt. Margaritas have salt…just sayin.’”
10. Here are some places in Lake Oswego to celebrate National Margarita Day:

Sabrozan gives you a little more kick with their Jalapeno Margarita. 17770 Pilkington Rd., 503-908-8488

Jefe’s has quite a lineup including the El Jefe with El Jimador Reposado Tequila, Cointreau, fresh lime, simple syrup and egg white. 503.635.1900

Holy Taco’s Holy Margaritas are only $7 during Happy Hour, from 2 to 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. to closing. 345 1st Street, 503-675-2726.

Oswego Grill lists two margaritas on their Specialty Cocktail lineup: Cucumber Mint and Fire-Roasted Jalapeno. 7 Centerpointe Dr., 503.352.4750.

Stanford’s, 14801 Kruse Oaks, 503.620.3541 and Nicoletta’s Table, 333 S. State St., Suite M, 503.699.2927 both list Pomegranate Margaritas on their menus.