To celebrate the grand opening of the Margaritaville gaming area at the Flamingo in Las Vegas, Jimmy’s crew is attempting the world record largest margarita.

Starting today, workers will begin to fill the 31 ft. tall tank dubbed Lucky Rita. You can watch live around the clock at www.margaritaville.com/luckyrita.html

When full, Lucky Rita will contain 8,500 gallons! What’s the recipe?

• 2,125 gallons Margaritaville Gold Tequila
• 708 gallons Margaritaville Triple Sec
• 5,667 gallons Margarita Mix
• 22,267 limes

The official Lucky Rita and Margaritaville Grand Opening ceremony will be held on October 14th with the final pour intended to set the world record for the Guinness Book. Then from October 14th through the 23rd, over 181,333 margaritas will be served, coinciding with the 7th annual Margaritaville street party.

Jimmy Buffett’s official website has received a makeover. A beautiful Caribbean background dominates the main page and a countdown to the grand opening of the Margaritaville Casino in Las Vegas sits at the top right.

Surf over and take a look now at www.margaritaville.com.

Here’s a quick tour of how the Margaritaville.com site has changed over the years. How far back do you remember?

1997

1998

1999

2001

2002-2003

2004-2005

2006-2007

2008-2009

Take a look at some photos of the new Margaritaville gaming area inside the Flamingo Las Vegas, posted by Margaritaville Las Vegas on Facebook. How cool are the lime lights?

After years of deals being made and deals falling through, you’ll finally be able to drop a coin in a Margaritaville slot machine today as the Margaritaville gaming area at the Flamingo casino opens in Las Vegas.

The 15,000-square-foot “casino within a casino” features 22 gaming tables, 220 slot machines and a centerpiece “5 O’clock Somewhere” bar. Palm trees double as pillars, tiki huts poke from the ceiling and a giant margarita blender decorates an entrance.

Friday, staff put the finishing touches on the $10 million casino. Workers swept up dust as dealers in Hawaiian shirts and bikini-clad cocktail servers toured the floor.

The mini-casino links the main Flamingo casino floor with the resort’s 8-year-old Margaritaville restaurant. Caesars staff oversaw gaming decisions, and Margaritaville officials designed the space.

There are some more details out this morning on the Las Vegas Margaritaville’s attempt at the world’s largest margarita:

After six months of planning, the mixing of the colossal 8,500 gallon beverage, appropriately named “Lucky Rita,” will begin on October 11, 2011…it will take over 300 man hours working around the clock to mix the concoction, concluding with the public “Topping Off” ceremony on October 14, 2011. Surpassing the previous record holder by 873 gallons, Lucky Rita will feature 2,125 gallons of Margaritaville Gold Tequila, 708 gallons of Triple Sec, 5,667 gallons of Margaritaville Margarita Mix and Lemon-X sour mix and 22,667 Lime Wedges. Lucky Rita will sit at 30 feet tall and will serve over 181,333 margaritas from October 14th to October 23rd coinciding with the 7th annual Margaritaville street party.

The official Lucky Rita and Margaritaville Grand Opening ceremony will be held on October 14th with the final pour intended to set the world record for the Guinness Book. The public, along with media, are encouraged to attend the ceremony where local dignitaries, project principals and guests will be treated to entertainment, margaritas, Jimmy Buffett concert ticket giveaways and more.

Spearheaded by Margaritaville’s Director of Marketing Tamara Baldanza, Lucky Rita will afford Margaritaville the opportunity to reclaim the official title of World’s Largest Margarita (which Margaritaville held from 2001-2010). “We’re really excited about bringing back home the World Record; and what perfect timing! Not only will Lucky Rita be a celebration of the opening of our first casino, but she’ll also be serving up margaritas to our street party and restaurant guests during Margaritaville week,” says Baldanza. “All I can say is thank goodness it’s always 5 O’clock somewhere because that’s a whole lot of margaritas…”