Posts by Marcel Brown

On our final day aboard the Carnival Spirit for the Marketer’s Cruise, I decided to have one more Margarita at the BlueIguana Tequila Bar. This time I chose their “Ultimate Margarita” because, hey, it should be the best, right? Although curiously the previously reviewed Blue’s Patron Margarita was more expensive and the BlueIguana’s “drink of choice”.

The ingredients listed were El Jimador Tequila, Triple Sec and fresh lime juice. Definitely a solid choice of ingredients so I was hopeful it would be a good final Margarita on this cruise. It had a nice flavor, well balanced, and was refreshing. It could have maybe been a little more bold on the flavor but it was a nice drink to have by a pool on a cruise ship. I give it an 8.

And once again if you market your services online, are a digital marketer, or support people who market online, you definitely need to check out the Marketer’s Cruise! My lady and I had a blast (as you can see from all the Margaritas I tried!) and we made many great connections and friendships.

While on our way back to the cruise ship, I ran into a new friend from the Marketer’s Cruise who was a Tequila enthusiast and he said that before we leave I should quickly find a place called Agave Tequila Bar just a couple of blocks away. Given his enthusiasm for Tequila I grabbed my lady and we hustled to this place for a quick few tastes.

On their menu they listed the “Agaverita!”, which they claimed was their signature Margarita with a few different flavored options. I chose their “classic” variety so as to get a taste of their core Margarita first.  It had a very smooth taste, with a richness that may have been some sort of agave flavor or other flavor from the Tequila they used. According to the bartender they use a combination of Lunazul and another reposado Tequila that I unfortunately did not get to note. Regardless, this Margarita was truly different from almost any other Margarita I’ve ever tried yet it was still an excellent Margarita worthy of an 8.5. I’ll make sure to come back here some day and get the exact recipe.

My lady ordered an El Diablo which was a spicy Margarita composed of Jalapeño-infused Lunazul Blanco Tequila, Mezcal, orange liqueur, pineapple, lime, and a spicy sugar rim. As seemingly has been a trend on this trip, the pineapple and spiciness were nicely blended into the drink so that they don’t detract from the traditional Margarita flavors. It rates an 8 on my scale for a flavored Margarita.

I also tried some Tequila infused with Ghost Pepper while I was at Agave’s. This particular Tequila was strong in both Tequila flavor and Ghost Pepper spiciness. We unfortunately did not have time to have any food other than some chips and salsa, but the food seemed to be of hight quality so one day I’ll be sure to stop back by to get more details!

If you are in the harbor of Red Hook, St. Thomas make sure to stop by Agave Tequila Bar & Mexican Kitchen.

While on the Marketer’s Cruise, I did not get a chance to try a Margarita while at our third destination in Saint Martin (on either the French or Dutch side). So I made sure to try a Margarita at our fourth and final destination of St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. A friend who lives part time in St. Thomas recommended we try a little outdoor bar called the Rum Hut.

The only Margarita on the menu was called the Zesty Pineapple Margarita so I ordered that. The ingredients listed were El Jimador Tequila, Triple Sec, Sweet & Sour, Pineapple Juice, Crushed Pineapple & Tabasco. I was very curious at how this would turn out and I’m happy to say I was pleasantly surprised. The Margarita was nicely balanced with the pineapple flavor and the spiciness and flavor of the Tabasco, yet the Tequila and lime flavor still came through so it was identifiable as a Margarita. Overall a very nice flavored Margarita worthy of an 8 on my scale.

The same holds true for Tequila – although maybe it makes you a bandito instead?

After the party at the Condado Ocean Club wrapped up, my lady and a group of newly-found friends from the Marketers’ Cruise headed back to the ship. However, right across the street from the port was a Señor Frog’s and we had just enough time to get a few drinks before boarding. So of course I wanted to try another Margarita in San Juan and also a Piña Colada since it is the official drink of Puerto Rico (and legend has it that a Puerto Rican pirate invented the drink).

Señor Frog’s had a “Kick Ass Margarita” on their menu so I ordered that. Unfortunately it was not really all that “kick ass” as it had average flavor. It wasn’t bad but it was really nothing special, rating only a 7 for such a bold name. However, I can say the Piña Colada was a much better drink at this location. So maybe the moral of the story is to stick to Piña Coladas while in San Juan, but I’m happy to come back here and try some more Margaritas just to be sure!

Our next destination on the Marketer’s Cruise was San Juan, Puerto Rico. After taking a morning tour of historic San Juan, we attended a pool party thrown by one of the business people affiliated with the cruise at the Condado Ocean Club. For my first time ever in Puerto Rico, I wanted to make sure to try a Margarita while I was here.

The bartender made my Margarita with Bribón Tequila and while the Margarita had decent flavor and was nicely balanced, it was really nothing special. I rate the Margarita a 7, however the Candado Ocean Club was an amazing experience! If you are in San Juan, Puerto Rico and  get a chance to visit, make sure to do so!

The Condado Ocean Club is absolutely gorgeous!

The first destination on the Marketer’s Cruise was Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic. We connected with another professional who had rented an ocean cabana and spent the day there. Complete with a bar, we were able to order drink and of course I asked for a Margarita.

Now this was a very interesting Margarita as it was made with “local tequila” as the server specified. Now knowing what I know about Tequila, I know it is only made in the Jalisco region of Mexico so I was skeptical of what this “local tequila” could actually be. At one point I went to the bar to ask to take a look at the bottle. It was labeled Versailles TexSol made by Isidro Bordas, which is in fact a Dominican Republic producer of alcoholic drinks. The ingredients listed was “Alcohol y esencia de agave” which translated means “Alcohol and agave essence”. So it is an agave-based spirit, although it probably is not really close to a real Tequila. I asked for a shot of this spirit to see what it tasted like and it has a flavor similar to floral perfume. Definitely not like most Tequila I have tasted. Still, this was a very curious find!

Anyway, the Margarita itself had a fruity flavor, very possibly a factor of the above-mentioned TexSol spirit, along with some lime flavor and sweetness. It really was not a great Margarita, rating only a 6.5, but it was decent enough, especially when drinking in a tropical paradise!

This review is unique as it is my very first ever from a cruise ship! As my lady and I were exploring the ship on our first day aboard the Marketer’s Cruise, I found the BlueIguana Tequila Bar before we even left the port so of course I had to give it a try!

For this visit I tried their Blues Patron Margarita, made with Patrón Silver Tequila, Triple Sec, Agave Nectar and lime juice. This is seemingly a winning combination of solid ingredients so I was looking forward to trying it. It had a nice flavor with good sweetness, although it was a bit on the tart side. Overall, it was a good Margarita but nothing special. Still a decent enough Margarita to rate a 7.5. If you are on a Carnival Cruise ship, look for the BlueIguana Tequila Bar as it is available on many of Carnival’s ships.

While in Miami Beach we meet some business associates that were also going on the Marketer’s Cruise at a restaurant called The Local House. Technically it was a brunch but hey I’m going to try a Margarita any time of day!

Given my experience at Maxine’s a couple of days before, I was really looking forward to trying another Miami Beach Margarita. While this Margarita was light and refreshing, it didn’t have much sweetness and it was definitely on the the tart side of things. I would have preferred a bit more sweet flavor to round out the balance of this Margarita. It was still a nice drink which I rate a 7.

Classic Margarita, Maxine’s Bistro & Bar

Only 10 days after our Las Vegas Trip ended, my lady and I took a trip to Miami Beach to set sail on a business cruise called the Marketer’s Cruise. Yes, such things exist! Our first night in Miami Beach, we stopped by a placed called Maxine’s Bistro & Bar which was right down the street from the hotel we were staying at.

I ordered a Classic Margarita off their menu. For not expecting anything special, this Margarita was amazing. It was richly flavored and nicely balanced. The flavors hit right up front and lingered after the swallow. It was truly one of the best Margaritas I had the good fortune of trying in a long time – which after some great Margaritas in Las Vegas I was feeling quite blessed. After our dinner I went to the bar and asked the bartender if I could watch her make this Margarita. It was a pretty simple recipe of lime juice, tequila, and Triple Sec. I was surprised at the choice of Tequila as it Juarez Silver, which to my knowledge is not necessarily a true Tequila. Additionally she used the Juarez brand of Triple Sec, which I will make a point to purchase a bottle and test it out in the future along with the Juarez Tequila because the Classic Margarita at Maxine’s was worthy of a 9.5

Spicy Pineapple Margarita, Maxine’s Bistro & Bar

My lady had ordered a Spicy Pineapple Margarita and of course I took a few sips. For a flavored Margarita, it was excellent. The pineapple flavor blends in nicely so that it doesn’t overwhelm the lime and tequila flavor. This is also true of the spiciness present in this Margarita, giving it just enough spice to make things interesting without being overpowering. This drink still feels like a Margarita which is very important to me when trying flavored Margaritas like this one. As a side note, the pineapple flavor itself was excellent, which I’m guessing that they used fresh pineapple juice in Miami Beach. Overall this was an excellent flavored Margarita that I rate an 8.5.

And seriously, if you are market your services online, are a digital marketer, or support people who market online, you definitely need to check out the Marketer’s Cruise! You may never have a better vacation where you can build your business at the same time!

Sol Margarita, El Segundo Sol Taqueria and Margarita Bar

Continuing our Las Vegas trip, my lady and I walked down the Las Vegas Strip with one of the partners in the podcasting company and his lady to do some shopping and sight seeing. We happened to find a Mexican restaurant called El Segundo Sol Taqueria and Margarita Bar that caught the attention of our friends as they use to live in El Segundo. And of course, I had no problem stopping by a Mexican restaurant and sampling some Margaritas in Las Vegas.

First I tried their Sol Margarita, which appeared to be their house variety of Margarita. The ingredients listed were El Jimador Reposado, Bauchant Orange Liqueur, and lime juice. It had a nice flavor with a good balance although it was a bit on the tart side. It had an ever so slightly bitter finish, which may have come from the orange liqueur. Overall it was a very nice Margarita, especially if you like a tart variety. I rate the Margarita on this afternoon an 8.

Petal to the Metal Margarita, El Segundo Sol Taqueria and Margarita Bar

Next I tried a Margarita they called their Petal to The Metal, with the ingredients of Milagro Blanco Tequila, Cointreau, lime, and hibiscus. Overall it was a nice drink with a very citrus flavor prominent. It was not very sweet but the hibiscus flavor was also strong. Ultimately, I would honestly not call this drink a Margarita as the lime flavor was not discernible through the hibiscus, however it was as pleasant drink especially if you like hibiscus flavor.