Eight great margaritas for Cinco de Mayo

San Diego News Network scoured the county in search of eight great margaritas to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Hey, it’s a tough job, but someone had to do it. After a quick newsroom poll of our staff’s favorite margaritas, we set off on compiling a list that would do Mr. Cuervo justice. What’s your favorite? Share it in the comments section.

Baja Betty's in Hillcrest

Baja Betty’s: The hoppin’ Hillcrest locale hosts one of the best happy hours around. You can’t beat its happy hour $3 house margaritas from 2-6 p.m., Monday through Friday. Your best bet is one of the all-natural fruit, house margaritas, made with Sauza Silver tequila and fruit puree. Our pick: The passion fruit house margarita on the rocks (regularly $7.50). If you’re looking for something  a bit racier, try the Me So Horni, a monster 42-ounce margarita made with Hornitos tequila, and topped with a rubber ducky; $15.50. Baja Betty’s is located at 1421 University Ave. in Hillcrest; 619-269-8510.

Zócalo: Live like a millionaire for just 12 bucks. Zócalo’s Millionaire Margarita is a step up from your everyday tequila concoction. Made in a 16-ounce shaker with Don Julio Anejo, Grand Marnier, Triple Sec and the Brig Mix (a blend of fresh fruit juices used by The Brigantine restaurants in San Diego), you get the best bang for your buck here; $12. Zócalo is located at 2444 San Diego Ave. in Old Town, or 10514 Craftsman Way in 4S Ranch.

Café Coyote: Caddy-corner from Zocalo’s Old Town location, Café Coyote is a convenient second stop on a pub crawl down San Diego Avenue. While there, saddle up to the bar and order an old classic: The Cadillac Margarita made with Cuervo Traditional, triple sec, sweet and sour mix and topped with a Grand Marnier floater. Ride in style for $8.95. Café Coyote is located at 2461 San Diego Ave. in Old Town; 619-291-4695.

Miguel’s Cocina: Quality meets quantity at the best price in town at Miguel’s Cocina, with three locations in Point Loma, Coronado and Eastlake. Miguel’s Ultimate Margarita is a must-try. Made with Cuervo Especial, Patron Citronge (an upscale version of Cointreau), Grand Marnier and the Brig Mix, you can get this loaded 16-ounce margarita for $7 during a 3-6 p.m. happy hour;  $9.50 regularly priced.

Jose’s Court Room:  What’s the secret ingredient in this La Jolla hotspot’s famous house margarita? It’s love, says Michelle the bartender - and that’s the only secret you’re getting out of her. The bar isn’t stingy with its tequila, which may be one reason the margarita is so popular. Made with Cuervo Especial, a sweet and sour mix that comes from a “secret source,” fresh lime and triple sec, Jose’s Court Room has been serving its house margarita since 1972. Why else is it a pretty-much famous margarita? Easy. It’s $4 during happy hour and $5.50 regularly priced - and remember, you get a heavy pour. Now that’s what we call love. Jose’s Court Room is located at 1037 Prospect Street in La Jolla; 858-454-7655.

Casa de Pico: Size matters - and Casa de Pico doesn’t disappoint. The legendary Old Town restaurant landed in La Mesa a few years back. Luckily, the moving men managed to ship Casa de Pico’s “birdbath”-size, 32-ounce margarita glasses safely east on Interstate 8. For the low, low price of $7.75, you can indulge in a margarita the size of your face. The house recipe utilizes the restaurant’s well tequila - Vallarta - triple sec, and a special blend of sweet and sour mix. Be warned: you may need to call a cab if you have one (or more) of these monster margaritas - and that can be pricey if you don’t live in East County. Casa de Pico is located at 5500 Grossmont Center Drive in La Mesa; 619-463-3267.

Casa Guadalajara: Celebrate Cinco de Mayo in style, with an authentic red, white and green, three-flavor margarita at Casa Guadalajara in Old Town. The 24-ounce blend is, essentially, three margaritas in one. The bartenders swirl kiwi, strawberry and regular margaritas in a glass for a festive presentation. Regularly priced at $9.95, the “Cincorita” (as the restaurant calls it), is made with Vallarta tequila, triple sec and the restaurant’s special sweet and sour. For the kiwi and strawberry flavors, bartenders use a kiwi puree and fresh strawberries. Viva Casa Guadalajara! Casa Guadalajara is located at 4105 Taylor Street in Old Town; 619-295-5111.

Mexico: Some say a good margarita is hard to come by north of the U.S.-Mexico border; we’d disagree, obviously. But, if you’re willing to breach the travel warning, you’re sure to find a quality margarita south of San Ysidro. If “Mexico” is too broad a suggestion, try La Fonda, between Rosarito and Ensenada. La Fonda is far enough from Tijuana to be relatively safe, and the La Fonda restaurant serves a memorable margarita - well, memorable until you’ve had too many.

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This entry was posted on Monday, May 4th, 2009 at 5:31 pm and is filed under Columns, Food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.