Texas has designated an official state stone (petrified palmwood), shell (lightning whelk) and grass (sideoats grama).
Among edibles, Texas has conferred the ultimate honor on a dish (chili), bread (pan de campo), fruit (Texas red grapefruit), nut (pecan), native pepper (chiltepin), “other pepper” (jalapeño), vegetable (Texas sweet onion) and snack (tortilla chips and salsa).
Two sweet bites, strudel and sopaipillas, share the title for state pastry. (I guess the kolache lobby slept in that day.)
What’s missing here? Something to wash this feast down.
I hereby propose three beverages as official Texas state drinks.
In addition, I have added several runners-up to the end of the list.
Texas is just one big margaritaville
This choice is a no-brainer. Margaritas — frozen, on the rocks or straight-up — have been a staple of Texas culture for decades.
Cocktail historians trace the drink’s origins back to a dozen different sources during the 1930s. Early versions of margaritas, sometimes with other names, were made with lime or lemon juice, Cointreau and tequila. The earliest claim that I’ve found credits Doña Bertha of Bertha’s Bar in Taxco, Mexico, as the drink’s creator.