Reviews

It was Cinco de Mayo and I found myself with the opportunity to visit a nice restaurant with some friends on a Sunday evening. I had never been to Polite Society in St. Louis so I was excited to try it. Given that it was Cinco de Mayo, not that I need an excuse to try a Margarita anywhere, I ordered a Margarita from the bar. Because the restaurant and bar were upscale, I presumed the Margarita would be well-made and I was not disappointed.

The drink was well-balanced with good citrus flavor and a subtle tequila flavor. The sweetness of the drink did have a slight fruitiness to it, which isn’t necessarily my favorite flavor profile for a Margarita, but it wasn’t a big distraction. There was also a light carbonation to this Margarita which I don’t think is necessary, but a fun variation at times. Overall I would give the Margarita from Polite Society an 8 on this night. I would also highly recommend visiting Polite Society as their food was excellent.

The Top Shelf Margarita at Espino’s Mexican Bar and Grill

I had heard about Espino’s Mexican Bar and Grill through some radio advertisements. I also found out that this restaurant had been featured on the TV Show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with Guy Fieri. So clearly I was excited to visit and try their food and, of course, Margaritas. Given that their location is about 45 minutes away from where I live, it took me awhile to finally get the opportunity to stop by. Given how long I had been hearing about Espino’s, I was super excited to see what kind of Margaritas they had to offer and so I planned to give myself enough time to sample a few. They did have a variety to choose from, so I did end up sampling 3 different kinds.

The first was their Top Shelf Margarita. I skipped their House Margarita because it was made with Jose Cuervo Gold Tequila, which I know is not a real tequila, as it is not made with 100% pure Agave. The fact that an authentic Mexican restaurant would use an alcohol that is not considered tequila in Mexico was a little red flag for me, but not that much to concern me at first. The menu listed the ingredients as Espino’s Private Label of Maestro Dobel Tequila, Grand Marnier, Agavero and “Espino’s secret recipe”. Oooooh! Private label tequila! And a secret recipe! I was really excited to taste this Margarita!

I was sitting at the bar and the bartender was a friendly older Hispanic lady and she sort of reminded me of some of the Costa Rican ladies in my family. I ordered the Margarita and waited with anticipation as she started making my drink. I figured a Top Shelf Margarita at a classy place would take a little time to make so I wasn’t in a hurry. Interestingly enough the drink was made very quickly, which worried me a bit. Additionally, the look of the drink made it seem like it was made with a mix, so I suddenly was anxious about what I was about to taste. Unfortunately, my concerns were valid. The drink was fine, but it wasn’t anything great. It tasted pretty much like an average Margarita from an average Mexican restaurant. I was expecting more, especially from a Top Shelf Margarita from a classy place. Whatever Espino’s secret recipe is, it is not really anything special, unfortunately. At best I can give the Top Shelf Margarita from Espino’s a 7. And that might be pushing it. More like a 6.5 if I’m grading it as a Top Shelf Margarita.

Wabo Rita from Espino’s Mexican Bar and Grill

After that disappointing experience, I was a little apprehensive about trying some other varieties, but I soldiered on. I mean, even an average Margarita is still a good time, right? So next up I tried their Wabo Rita. The ingredients for this Margarita were listed as Cabo Wabo Reposado Tequila, Blue Curacao, and Espino’s Recipe. Maybe this recipe wasn’t so secret? At least I figured that Cabo Wabo is a good tequila and Blue Curacao is a good flavor as well. As expected, the Margarita had a blue tint to it, as one would expect from a drink with Blue Curacao. Unfortunately, the taste of this Margarita was simply put, rather bland. Not much happening here. It wasn’t a bad tasting drink, it just didn’t taste like much. I’m not sure what happened here. Maybe it was just not made well, or maybe there was a problem with the mix, or maybe the Blue Curacao wasn’t a great choice as the primary flavoring, but I just really can’t give this drink more than a 5.5.

Espino’s Skinny Margarita

Finally, I decided to try Espino’s Skinny Margarita. Not that I was worried about my figure, but rather the listed ingredients were Código 1530 Rosa Tequila, fresh lime juice, and agave nectar with a splash of club soda. I figured that maybe skipping Espino’s Secret (or not-so secret) Recipe and getting fresh lime juice with agave nectar would finally give me the Margarita that I was longing for. Certainly given that the ingredients were very similar to my own standard recipe, I held out hope that this would finish off my experience on a high note. Unfortunately, the flavor was not what I was expecting. For a Margarita supposedly made with fresh ingredients, the flavor reminded me of a mix. I honestly can not explain how fresh lime juice could taste like it did other than perhaps the lime juice wasn’t actually fresh. It was almost like tasting the lime juice out of a bottle. If you’ve never tried lime juice out of a bottle, it might work for using it in certain food recipes, but the taste is certainly not the same as fresh squeezed lime juice. It has a very processed taste and does not work well in a Margarita. I’m not sure if this was the case with Espino’s Skinny Margarita, but my experience ended the same as it began. Another disappointing Margarita. A 6 at best.

Espino’s listed a Millionaire Margarita that I was considering trying when I first saw it on the menu. But after 3 disappointing Margaritas, I did not want to spend $35 to be disappointed again. So maybe in the future I will consider trying this version. But not on this day.

The good news is that while the Margaritas were disappointing, the food was very good. I’d certainly come back for the food when I’m next in the area and I’d be willing to try the Margaritas again, just in case perhaps the bar had an off night.

Having previously sampled the Strawberry Lemongrass Infused Margarita and Hibiscus Infused Margarita at Mangia Italiano in St. Louis, we returned once more and I decided to try yet another variety. This time I sampled the Orange Cucumber Infused Margarita.

Mangia is known for using a variety of infused tequilas in their Margaritas. Continuing the trend, this drink made use of orange cucumber infused tequila, as the name of the drink would imply. Given that the last two varieties of Margarita I tried here were excellent, I was excited to try this new version. Unfortunately, this version was not so great on this night. While the orange cucumber infused tequila added an interesting flavor, the overall taste of this drink was a little bitter. It did not have a sufficient amount of sweetness for my liking and I would describe the overall flavor profile as “thin”. It definitely could have been better, especially given my previous experience with Mangia’s Margaritas. Perhaps they had an off night or maybe this particular recipe just wasn’t my cup of tea … er glass of Margarita? I give the Orange Cucumber Infused Margarita a 6.5.

Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria is a popular restaurant in the St. Louis area. I was lucky enough to get a chance to visit for lunch on this day. So, of course, I took the opportunity to try a Margarita. And Katie’s had a very interesting variation that I wanted to taste.

Called the Basil Mash Margarita, I certainly had to see what basil flavor could do in a Margarita. I am a fan of basil, along with many other herbs and spices that are common to Italian and Hispanic foods, so I was excited to try. My main concern, as is true with many flavored Margaritas, was whether the additional flavor complements or distorts the base Margarita taste profile. Luckily, in this case the basil flavor did not get in the way of the core Margarita components. Given the additional basil flavor, the drink was well-balanced with good citrus and tequila flavor coming through. I give the Basil Mash Margarita an 8.

Some days are better than others. For example, when one gets to taste a Margarita in the afternoon … and then another one in the evening! Earlier on this day I tried a Margarita at Cantina Laredo. Then later in the day I got to revisit the restaurant Mangia to taste another one!

I had previously visited Mangia and at that time I sampled their Strawberry Lemongrass Infused Margarita. So this time I wanted to try their Hibiscus Infused Margarita. Given that the strawberry version was excellent, I expected a similar experience with the hibiscus flavor. Sure enough, their hibiscus version was also excellent. It was sweet and flavorful with plenty of tartness cutting through, just like I prefer when having a Margarita. I’d also give the Hibiscus Infused Margarita from Mangia an 8.5.

I had previously visited Cantina Laredo in Clayton, MO and tried their Casa Rita Margarita. Unfortunately, the drink that day was not all that great. However, the restaurant was very nice and the food was good. On this day I found myself back in the vicinity so I figured it would be a good time to try another Margarita from Cantina Laredo.

I noticed a Margarita on their menu they called the Perfect Patron Rita. It was made with Patron Silver tequila and Patron Citronge liqueur. I often use Patron Citronge orange liqueur in my own Margaritas. While I can not find any definitive information on what base the Citronge liqueur is made from, given that it is made by Patron, along with the aroma from the bottle, it is highly likely that Patron makes Citronge from an agave base, which is the same thing tequila is made from. Whether it is made from agave/tequila or not, the bottom line is that when I use an orange liqueur in my Margaritas, Patron Citronge blends extremely well and does not have a bitter aftertaste “wang” like many of the French orange liqueurs do. I highly recommend that if you are going to use an orange liqueur in your Margaritas, you give Patron Citronge a try.

Anyway, because of the listed ingredients, plus I know that Cantina Laredo fresh squeezes their limes right at the bar, I was very excited to try their Perfect Patron Rita. Unfortunately, the drink that day was super tart. It had very little sweetness or tequila flavor. Since it was not well balanced, it was hard to enjoy. That’s too bad because that is twice the Margaritas here have been less than stellar. While I can only give the Margarita that day a 6, I’m sure I will be back again one day since the overall restaurant and food is very good at Cantina Laredo. Perhaps the third time will be the charm?

Ok, I know what you must be thinking … what’s a winery got to do with a Margarita? Well, I tend to find Margaritas everywhere I go it seems! I was out for a day visiting wineries in the Sainte Genevieve, MO area and when we stopped at the Charleville Vineyard, they had a drink they called the Charlerita – a Margarita made with wine. Of course, I had to try it.

I believe the wine they used for this drink was Chardonel or Chauvin. It smelled nice with lime being the prominent aroma. I was very much anticipating the flavor. Unfortunately, that is where the good times ended. The Charlerita is simply nothing like a good Margarita. It would appear that wine is simply not a good substitute for tequila. As a Margarita I can not in good conscience give this more than a 3. Honestly it is probably more of a 2. Even as just a generic cocktail, it had a woody flavor that just did not jive with the citrus. 3 or 4 tops – even when not classifying it as a Margarita.

I’m quite sorry, Charleville. I hate to be negative but this drink does not deserve to be called a “Rita.” At least the glass was very pretty and the view of the winery is lovely. I’d be happy to come back in the future and try again.

A Traditional Margarita at The Libertine

I was out for the evening, looking to have a nice dinner. I finally got to try a place that I had been wanting to try for a long time, The Libertine in Clayton, MO. Looking over their menu, I noticed they had two Margaritas to try. So of course I was up to the challenge!

First I tried a traditional Margarita. It had very good tequila flavor but was a little soft on the citrus. However it was smooth and well-balanced. It had just a little bit of a bitter finish. Overall it was very good so I give it an 8.

Tommy’s Margarita from The Libertine. Looks virtually the same as the first, but the taste is better.

Second I tried what The Libertine called “Tommy’s Margarita.” It was made with agave nectar and not orange liqueur, very much like my standard Margarita recipe. While the drink was presented in the same glass and it looked virtually identical to the traditional Margarita I had earlier, the taste of Tommy’s Margarita was overall smoother and had no bitter finish. It was slightly more acidic but still very good. It is possible that the orange liqueur of the traditional Margarita provided the bitter finish, where Tommy’s Margarita with no orange liqueur didn’t have that flavor. I give Tommy’s an 8.5.

I was walking around Clayton this afternoon out doing some shopping when it was decided to stop for a light lunch. It was actually a nice day for being mid-August in St. Louis so when we found outdoor seating at Herbie’s we decided to stop. The time seemed right to try a Margarita, so of course I did!

Things started off right as they asked what kind of tequila I preferred. This is always a good sign as that usually means the server and/or bartender takes their drinks seriously. I chose my go-to Don Julio and was excited to taste what they brought out. Unfortunately, the Margarita that day was a bit overly tart. Usually I get this type of taste when a mix is used. The Margarita did have good tequila flavor, as should be expected from Don Julio, and I tasted what seemed to be fresh lime juice, but the overall flavor just wasn’t where I wanted it to be. Oh well. I give the Margarita I had that day a 7, but I will definitely go back to Herbie’s and try again because the food was really good. Maybe next time the Margarita will be better balanced.

After having a Margarita in the hotel bar, my family went to have dinner with a friend at Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano in Naperville, IL. It should not be surprising that as an Italian restaurant, they would feature an Italian-themed Margarita. After having a good experience with a previous Italian Margarita, I did not hesitate to try Biaggi’s Sicilian Margarita, especially given the ingredient list: Patron Silver Tequila, Disaronno Amaretto, Cointreau Orange Liqueur, and lime and orange juices.

I am happy to say that the Sicilian Margarita didn’t disappoint. It was very well-balanced, smooth, and flavorful. It was excellent overall, but of course it is not a standard Margarita. If you are a fan of amaretto you will probably love the Sicilian Margarita from Biaggio’s. With that caveat, for an Italian-themed Margarita I give the drink this night an 8.5.