Jimmy Buffett, who passed away this morning at the age of 76, made millions of dollars over the years projecting his distinctive island-hopping, margarita-swilling lifestyle. In fact, our own Julia Smith couldn't resist the pull of New York City's first Margaritaville in a 2021 episode of Julia Tries Everything.
But the truth was, Buffett hadn't been actually living like that in quite some time. With all the coverage around his death, I came across an article in USA Today from 2020 where the singer admitted he wasn't big on his signature drink anymore:
"Margaritas have gotten very sweet. I like real lime juice; I don't like a lot of sugar," Buffett said. And in a New York Times article from 2018, Buffett said he prefers tequila on the rocks with a little lime since it has less sugar, and is basically a more refined take on the drink that made him famous.
So as the world mourns the man who had us all dreaming of a cheeseburger in paradise, and searing for that last shaker of salt, we at Delish encourage everyone to raising a glass—be it a simple tequila on the rocks or a take on the classic. We'll miss you Jimmy.
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