Cuervo Made a Margarita in Space

NASA's retirement of the Space Shuttle may have put a temporary end to America's manned space flight program, but that doesn't mean Americans are through doing amazing things outside the Earth's atmosphere.   For example, making the first ever space margarita.

In honor of National Margarita Day this past February 22nd, the people at Jose Cuervo filled a shaker with margarita ingredients and then, with the help of Dr. Peter Smith, Professor Emeritus of the University of Arizona's Department of Planetary Sciences (who probably just seriously improved his reputation within the university's Greek system), they used a high altitude balloon to send the alcoholic beverage outside of the ozone layer.

What's the advantage of sending a margarita into space?  Well, the temperature at that altitude is minus 92 degrees, causing the mixture to freeze.  It then receives a solid shaking as it plummets back to land.  According to Smith, the drink was also exposed to UV and cosmic rays, though if your palate can pick up on all of that, you probably didn't add enough sour mix.

But the real question is: Do you serve a space margarita with salt or no salt?  Maybe we should ask Buzz Aldrin.  I heard a rumor he snuck a couple space margaritas on board Apollo 11.

[h/t Daily Dish]