On the rocks, please
Sampling the best margaritas in town puts us in the holiday spirit.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
What says Cinco de Mayo more than margaritas?
Okay, maybe things like mariachis, pinatas and pico de gallo. But chances are this very Mexican drink will top your list of favorite things around May 5. To help you find the best place for consuming this sought-after May mixture, we decided to taste the house margaritas — on the rocks — at Mexican-themed joints all over central Arkansas.
Our top five:
Senor Tequila in west Little Rock
Price: $3.75
Presentation: Senor Tequila serves a superb margarita. This beautiful bright lime and yellow drink is served in the typical margarita glass, rimmed in salt, accented with a lime. Visibly it sets itself apart because it’s so much brighter than other margaritas. Maybe it’s a dose of food coloring — I’m not sure what it is — but it works.
Taste: Served with Jose Cuervo tequila (and of course triple sec and lime juice), the house margarita is the perfect blend of sweet and tart. There is nothing extra special about the presentation — it’s simple and classic — but the taste (and price) is about the best you can find in central Arkansas.
Overall rating: 9.9. Because no one’s perfect.
Juanita’s
Price: $4.95
Presentation: Juanita’s house margarita comes served in a simple highball glass holding about 12 ounces of margarita. The rim of the glass was adorned with a lime wedge and salt — though I asked that the salt be left off.
Taste: A perfect blend with the tequila offering a subtle bite but being chased with the margarita’s sweetness. It was easy to taste the tequila throughout, and the drink was smooth to the last drop. The tequila kick is there but not overpowering, plus it’s not too sweet. Still, a half point is subtracted for the non-requested salt.
Overall rating: 8.5.
Casa Manana
Price: $4.35
Presentation: The light green, approximately 12 ounce, elixir arrived in a thick glass goblet with a lightly salted rim and a lime wedge with a couple of inches of ice cubes floating at the top of the glass.
Taste: Just slightly sweet with a pleasant taste of tequila that did not overpower the drink or the head. It could have been colder but more ice means less margarita. Take your pick.
Overall rating: 8. Because it was good enough to go back for another but not the best margarita I’d ever had.
Canon Grill
Price: $4.95
Presentation: A mouth-watering presentation made its way to the table in seconds flat: an ice cold, frosted, 12-ounce mug with a lime wedge, coarse salt on the rim and a straw, which eliminated the need to hoist the heavy (and chilly) mug.
Taste: For those who prefer margaritas made with limeade, this is the margarita for you — very sweet and very tart. The taste of Cuervo Gold was prominent and would definitely serve its purpose.
Overall rating: 8. Mainly for presentation, chill factor and buzz factor.
Rumba
Price: $5
Presentation: The pale-green margarita (about 12 ounces) came served in a glass with a lime wedge, and the concoction was frothy at the top. Kudos to the bartender at Rumba for making note of my request of no salt and delivering the margarita as I ordered.
Taste: It could have used a little more zip, aka more tequila, but other than that it was cool and refreshing with just a tad of sweetness. It was also evenly mixed throughout.
Overall rating: 8. A little more tequila would have made this an even better margarita.
The others we tried:
CozyMel’s
Price: $5.50
There’s nothing fancy here — no special presentation, no funky glass or friendly fruit — just a basic, 12-ounce margarita with lime and salt. The drink, served with Juarez tequila has a slight bitter twang at first sip, but the aftertaste sweetens nicely. For triple sec lovers, you’ll probably taste a hint of that before the margarita tart.
Overall rating: 6.8.
Casa Mexicana
Price: $4.50
The margarita — 16 ounces of light green liquid served in a proper, half-moon shaped margarita glass — was made better by the thick band of course salt around the rim. The drink was a bit bitter — and, darn it, I just don’t like it when the tequila-to-mixer ratio is so balanced.
Overall rating: 6. But only because the presentation rocked.
La Hacienda
Price: $3.95
Presentation: The lime-green concoction was served in an approximately 12-ounce goblet with a lime wedge. The sugary sweet margarita mix overpowered the Sauza tequila. It was cold, but way too sweet, and the bottom of the margarita was syrup and ice.
Overall rating: 6.
On The Border
Price: $6.98
Presentation: Nothing significant in the presentation, and this drink was both bland and a bit bitter. If you go here, might as well opt for something more significant because you certainly don’t get your money’s worth with the house blend.
Overall rating: 5.3.
Las Palmas
Price: $3.25 at happy hour
Presentation: The well tequila is pretty smooth, and the tequila-to-mixer ratio was pretty balanced. But we would prefer our margaritas to be a little more on the stout side.
Overall rating: 5.25.
El Porton in North Little Rock
Price: $4.25 and up
Presentation: I love the margaritas at the west Little Rock restaurant. But I went to the North Little Rock store for this taste test and was saddened by the 12 ounces of yellowish green liquid that arrived at my table in a barely salted goblet. The regular margarita is made with Juarez tequila, and it tastes like a lime rind. To get that flavor out of my mouth, I upgraded to a Texas Margarita, made with Cuervo Gold. At just 50 cents more, it’s a little smoother but still nothing to rave about. For experimentation’s sake, I ordered a third margarita made with Patron. Heavenly ... but not very economical at $7.25.
Overall ranking: 5.
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