Margaritas should normally not be orange

On a Sunday out shopping with my family, we decided to stop for lunch at one of our favorite places, Houlihan’s. The last time I was here I had a Margarita, but it wasn’t all that great. But this time, they had a new menu with a section of “Signature Margaritas”. One of those was called the “Fresh Agave Margarita,” which listed organic agave nectar, Sauza Hornitos Plata Tequila, fresh orange and lime juice as ingredients. This certainly sounded like the makings for a great Margarita so of course I ordered one.

The first thing I noticed was that the color of the drink was very orange. That is not normal for a Margarita. The drink itself was very well made and had good flavor. The balance overall was good except for the fact that the orange juice flavor overpowered the lime flavor. Unfortunately, while the drink itself was good, the lack of lime flavor makes it hard for me to call it a good true Margarita. So I would give the drink a decent score overall, but as a Margarita, I would only give it a 6.

It is possible that the bartender that day simply used too much orange juice. If that was the case, I hold out high hopes that the Fresh Agave Margarita at Houlihan’s is normally better than the one I had that day. The next chance I get to go to Houlihan’s I will definitely give it another try.

J.Fires’ Market Bistro is a bit of a hidden gem near St. Louis, MO. Offering excellent food in a cozy old farmhouse built in 1818, J.Fires’ is definitely a unique dining experience. It had been a few years since my wife and I had visited, but a friend was having their birthday dinner there so away we went. Of course, I had a Margarita tasting on my mind.

The bad news was that I couldn’t taste any fresh lime juice in the Margarita. It was almost certainly made from a mix. The good news was that the drink was light and refreshing so it wasn’t bad. The other good news is that the food at J.Fires’ is unique and varied so I can forgive a Margarita that isn’t as good as I would like. Plus I would be willing to bet that if I had requested a Margarita made with fresh lime juice they could have accommodated that request. So while I would only rate the Margarita that night a 6.5, I wouldn’t hesitate to go back to J.Fires’ at any time. Perhaps next time I will specify how they should make the Margarita.

As luck would have it, the town where I live has become a little hotspot of new restaurants lately. Obviously this presents additional opportunities to sample new Margaritas! Social Gastropub’s Edwardsville, Illinois location is their second restaurant, with the first being near Toledo, Ohio. I have no idea how they ended up in Edwardsville from Ohio, but so far their food has been excellent so I’m happy they decided to locate here. But for purposes of this blog, the real question is how are their Margaritas?

Social’s menu did not list a Margarita so I asked the waitress if they served one. She said that the bartender could make one up so I ordered and my only request was that it be made with fresh lime juice. The Margarita ended up being well balanced and had a good flavor, but I could tell the sweet component was not agave nectar. This is not a deal-breaker for me, but I felt the sweet flavor was just a little too sweet. Overall, I give the Margarita that day a 7.5.

Note that this was the first week in operation for Social Gastropub in Edwardsville. Also, when making hand-crafted Margaritas, the skill of the bartender working a particular day has much to do with the quality of the drink. Since that first visit to Social Gastropub, I’ve sampled several of their other drinks and all were very good. One of my favorites is a drink made with Blood Orange. The ingredients are basically a Margarita with blood orange juice in place of lime juice. Obviously it tastes very similar to a Margarita so that is probably one reason why I like it. Unfortunately, they change their menu often so it was no longer listed the last time I checked. That being said, I am certain that regardless of what drink you choose, you will be satisfied with what you order so make sure to visit Social Gastropub as soon as you can.

Neat cups, but I prefer my Margarita in a glass.

Hacienda Mexican Restaurant is well-known in the St. Louis area. It had been a long time since my wife and I last visited, but we happened to be in the area so we stopped in for dinner and a Margarita.

Hacienda claims they have been awarded St. Louis’ Favorite Margarita. When that was and who awarded it they don’t say, but I’ve noticed a lot of places claiming the have “the best” Margarita in St. Louis. They can’t all be, so I guess it is up to me to find out who is telling the truth! It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

Hacienda has a large menu of Margaritas. So for this visit, I figured I’d just try their standard Margarita, called fittingly enough, “The Hacienda Margarita.” The first thing I noticed was that the Margarita was served in green plastic cups. I’m a little nitpicky about the way my Margaritas are served and plastic cups just make it seem like the place doesn’t take their Margaritas seriously. But the proof is in the pudding, so I wasn’t going to hold this against the Margarita depending on how it tasted.

With my first sip, I could tell immediately that this Margarita was made with a mix. Not that this was unexpected from a restaurant that serves a large variety of Margaritas. Usually the “standard” Margaritas are not top shelf. But I was hoping that St. Louis’ Favorite Margarita would be a bit more. The flavor was light and sweet, which made it easy to drink. However, the overall flavor was more fruity than citrus and there was a slightly bitter aftertaste. So it really wasn’t that great, although it wasn’t bad and I could see that people would like it as a refreshing drink on a hot day. I give The Hacienda Margarita a 7. However, I would like to return to Hacienda and sample some of their other Margaritas.

For our anniversary, I decided to take my wife out to a restaurant we had never tried before. I did a little research and settled on a place called Farmhaus. We enjoy restaurants that serve a variety of dishes based on what is fresh in market. I also enjoy restaurants that will handcraft a Margarita.

Funnily enough, when I asked for a Margarita, the waitress said they didn’t have Margarita mix but that they could squeeze some limes. Well, that certainly works for me! Made with Riazul tequila, the Margarita I had that night at Farmhaus was very good. All the flavors were well-balanced. It was just slightly less sweet than I would have liked, but my wife thought it was perfect. Overall, I give the Margarita I had that night an 8.

The food was great as Farmhaus as well. My only nitpick is that while the ambiance wasn’t bad, it wasn’t as nice as it is at other restaurants that we like, such as The Crossing or Five Bistro. So keep that in mind if you’re going for a night out like an anniversary.

A Margarita in an airport!

After our trip to California wine country, we traveled back with a stop over in the Phoenix airport. While there we looked for a place to grab a quick lunch. We just happened to find a Mexican placed called Sir Veza’s and then of course, I had to try a Margarita. A Margarita in an airport – who would have thunk it?

For a fast food airport restaurant, the food at Sir Veza’s was actually pretty good. The Margarita, while it tasted like it was obviously made with a mix, was pretty decent tasting. It was a little bit on the sweet side and a little bit of a bitter aftertaste. Given that, I rate the Margarita a 7, but for a Margarita fix in an airport it is worth trying.

The group we traveled with to wine country rented a house in a little town called Sebastopol. Located in this town was a restaurant called Zazu Kitchen that had been featured on the Travel Channel and Food Network. Zazu also has a farm where they grow much of their own food and raise farm animals, making the place definitively farm-to-table. So we decided to try the place out, because when would we be back?

Overall I liked the restaurant, although it was an unusually cold evening for late July (or maybe not for Northern California) so the open nature of the restaurant made the experience a little chilly. The food was very good overall, but not exceptional in my opinion. Fittingly, the Margarita I ordered was the same. Made with Fortaleza reposado tequila, it had a nice balance overall, but there was a bit of a strong orange sweet hit up front, as if there was maybe a little too much triple sec in the drink. The citrus flavor was nice but ultimately the orange flavor was distracting. So I give the Margarita I had that night at Zazu a 7.5.

This could be possibly the best Margarita in Napa.

After getting some sparkling wine at Domaine Chandon, our group decided to get some lunch. Someone in the group was familiar with a little place called Redd just blocks from the winery. I really had no idea what to expect, but it turned out to be one of the more pleasant surprises of our trip.

Our group bellied up to the bar and we were treated to an exceptional experience courtesy of our bartender Rob. As expected, he could make some great drinks, but he was also very familiar with the menu of the restaurant and recommended some very interesting appetizers. All the food was excellent. Redd is a real gem in the heart of Napa valley and if you are in the area you should definitely visit.

Now on to the Margarita. Again, the skill of the bartender Rob really made the drink. Watching him make all the drinks, he did something I’ve never seen another bartender do. He actually tasted each of the drinks he was making, using a little straw to draw out some of the drink by putting his finger on the end of the straw. Now that’s some quality control! There’s no way he’s serving a bad drink. On top of that, he asked all the right questions when it came to the Margarita I ordered. So that being said, he took my request that it be made with fresh lime juice, and added Cazadores reposado tequila, Cointreau, “a kiss” of agave nectar, and a floater of Grand Marnier.

My lovely wife and bartender Rob @ Redd

It certainly is nice to get a hand-crafted Margarita from a skilled bartender and this Margarita did not disappoint. It was fresh and light, well-balanced and delicious. Due to the Margarita having both Grand Marnier and Cointreau, it had just a little bit of an extra orange flavor than most Margaritas. This wasn’t a detraction however. The 8.5 I rate this Margarita is well-deserved. In fact, I ordered another!

The Millionaire Margarita wasn’t a million bucks.

After our lunch stop at Scoma’s, my wife and I decided to search out another Margarita in the city of San Francisco. Well, it was more me deciding that, but my wife happily went along. Unfortunately, we had no idea where to go. Let’s hear it for my iPhone, because a quick search found a restaurant called Las Margaritas nearby Scoma’s, so that’s where we went.

The restaurant looked and smelled great. I was somewhat disappointed that I had just eaten and couldn’t sample the menu. So much food, so little time! But at least I could sample a Margarita! Just to start, the bar at Las Margaritas was amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many tequilas in one spot! The menu listed a “Millionaire Margarita” and at $28, I certainly hoped it tasted like a million bucks!

This Margarita was better

The ingredients in the Millionaire Margarita was Jose Cuervo Reserva De La Familia, 100 Years Grand Marnier, and fresh lime juice. Obviously the top-shelf liquors were probably the main cost in the drink. I really hoped this Margarita would blow my mind. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to its name. My first concern was that I saw no sweet ingredient listed in the Margarita. Predictably, the Margarita lacked any real sweetness. On the plus side, the remaining flavors were well-balanced with a nice citrus component. But without any sweet flavoring, the Margarita had too much “bite” to it. It was more of a tequila with lime flavor than what I consider a true Margarita. But it least it was high quality tequila and fresh lime juice. So I give the Millionaire Margarita from Las Margaritas only a 7, and that might be a little on the high side.

My wife chose to order a “top shelf” Margarita. She asked the bartender what his favorite tequila was and to make it with that. So her Margarita was made with Herradura silver along with Grand Marnier, fresh lime juice, as Las Margaritas mix. Overall, it had a much more balanced flavor than the Millionaire Margarita. It wasn’t overly sweet and was smooth to drink. It was a little bit on the a bitter side, however. So ironically, I thought the regular top shelf Margarita at Las Margaritas was better than their Millionaire Margarita, giving it a 7.5.

Still, if you’re in San Francisco and want to see a shire to tequila, make sure to stop by Las Margaritas and check out their bar!

My wife and I got the opportunity to travel to “wine country” this summer with a group of friends. Obviously we would drink a lot of wine on this trip, but I was definitely going to take the opportunity to test out some Margaritas wherever I could.

We flew into San Francisco the day before we would drive up to Napa and Sonoma so we had some time to do some sightseeing and grab a bite to eat. My wife is a seafood fanatic, so we made a point to try a seafood restaurant for lunch. Scoma’s was suggested as one of the premier seafood spots in the city. As we walked up to the restaurant, the fact that it was directly on a pier and had fresh seafood delivered off boats right to the restaurant seemed to confirm the recommendations!

Certainly, the food we had at Scoma’s was fresh and delicious. So if you’re into seafood and find yourself in San Francisco, plan to stop by Scoma’s. From what I hear, however, you should try to make a reservation! All that being said, I was sure to try a Margarita. Unfortunately, the Margarita didn’t live up to the food. I noticed that the bar had Cazadores, so I requested a Margarita made with that tequila. The initial taste was tequila strong. I stirred it up and that helped to balance the flavors a bit, but it was still a little bitter. It just didn’t have enough citrus “pop” and it lacked in sweetness. I had a wedge of lime available so I squeezed it into the Margarita and that addition helped as well.

The good news is that Scoma’s Margarita is hand-made, so perhaps a different bartender would make a better Margarita, but for this day, the one I drank only rated a 6.5. Oh well, there would be more Margaritas to follow on this trip!