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The top ten reasons Jimmy Buffett would have a field day in our tequila-drenched city.
Manuel's makes a nice classic margarita with Don Julio Blanco tequila (peppery and astringent) as a base, but they've won the most fans with their blended fruit margaritas, which involve real fruit: Strawberry, guava, mango, prickly pear, pomegranate, and watermelon.
Two words: Avocado margarita. Run, don't walk to happy hour at Curra's folks, and order this immediately. Cold weather is no excuse. Thick, creamy and frozen, this is Curra's most famous cocktail -- it's margarita consistency is unconventional and strange, and maybe that's why it appeals to Austinites so much.
The Purple Margarita at Baby A's is the stuff of myth and lore. I remember being warned about it during college, under hushed whispers that you could only order two before they cut you off. Now yes, the Purple Marg is strong -- and sweet. No, it's not the creme de la creme of Austin margaritas. But it's a rite of passage nonetheless, just like Mexican Martini's at Trudy's, Kerbey queso, and eating out of the bulk bins at Hancock Center H-E-B when nobody is looking.
The SoCo Tex-Mex joint famous for celeb sightings, Guero's is also well-known for their extensive margarita menu. They don't go crazy with fruity flavor combos here, but spice up their 17 margarita offerings with various tequilas, ranging from sharp blancos (aged the least) to smooth anejos (aged the most). My favorite is the El Magnifico, made with just three ingredients -- Herradura Anejo being one of them.
El Chile's Chilango Margarita -- a blood orange margarita dusted with chili powder on the rim -- may be one of my favorite cocktails in all of Austin. A little sweet, a little spicy, and a little UT proud, the Chilango has graced the pages of Food & Wine, who agrees that this tangy potion is perfect porch sippin' stuff.
Strong margaritas that put a little hair on your chest, and aren't too sugary sweet. Just ask your bartender to go easy on the ice if you order it on the rocks, so you don't end up with a disproportionate ice-to-rita ratio.
Just say "si" to Takoba's Habanero Mango Margarita, a spicy, fruity cocktail that is all to easy to slurp down. Enjoy your first, proceed with caution on your second, call a taxi on your third.
TNT likes to play musical chairs with its margarita flavor options, cycling in creative offerings like grapefruit/tarragon and peach/basil. But if you want a solid, straightforward marg, you can find one here every day for $4 during happy hour.
La Condesa is like the Salma Hayek of Austin Mexican food restaurants: Gorgeous, rich, and classy. And like Salma, it's not afraid of aggressively strong classic margaritas, especially when they're topped off with a cactus lemongrass-infused salt rim -- all the better for licking off seductively.
Papi Tino's is a low-lit, low-slung bungalow on east sixth, whose live piano and twinkly lights make it ideal for a low-key date night. While you're there, split a spicy Mezcalito Margarita, and enjoy a taste bud tingling goodnight kiss.
