Though summer isn’t quite here, margarita season is. We explored the city to find a few you’ll want to try.
5 Tucson margaritas to drink — and eat — right now
- Photos and stories by Andi Berlin Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Bandera margarita at Guadalajara Original Grill: Is it a margarita, or an intergalactic space vessel that’s been beamed down from a carnivalesque ice planet? The Bandera, $9, sports three frosty layers — melon, plain and strawberry — that all utilize sweetness to hide its treacherous intentions. Establish contact with it at Guadalajara Original Grill, 1220 E. Prince Road.
El Bulli margarita at HighWire Lounge: This margarita takes its name from a remote restaurant in northeastern Spain that popularized dishes like liquid olives and Parmigiano-Reggiano foam. Using a secret brew made from plant extracts, bartender John Hardin molds citrus tequila into gummy drops the texture of ikura sushi. The bottom half of the drink, $10, is a pretty standard prickly pear marg using syrup from Cheri’s Desert Harvest, which makes it local, I guess? At HighWire Lounge, 14 S. Arizona Ave.
Prickly pear margarita at Reforma: The patio weather gods have sent this one down from above: a gorgeous prickly pear margarita, $10, that’s neither too sweet nor too strong — just perfect for outside sipping, with a floral aroma and the mellow spice notes of Sauza Blue tequila. And, no, that’s not salt. It’s sugar, baby! At Reforma Cocina y Cantina, 4310 N. Campbell Ave.
SirCerveza-Rita at Sir Veza’s Taco Garage: Where they “fix thirsty!” You can get your margaritas straight from the tap. But this bad boy, $13, gets doctored up with citrus juices before bartender Kiersten Gede slaps a tiny Corona bottle in it, rubs the rim with some Tajín and calls it a lazy afternoon. Take it slow at Sir Veza’s, 4699 E. Speedway and 220 W. Wetmore Road.
The Moonarita at the Stillhouse: The east side is a strange place where bartenders mix craft cocktails out of moonshine. This Moonarita, $7, is actually just one of the “Moonshine Mixers” on the menu at Stillhouse. It’s got lime juice, agave nectar and Roger Clyne’s Reposado Mexican Moonshine, which by most accounts is actually just tequila. Not to be outdone, we got ours with a spritz of Blue Curacao to give it that electric taste. At Stillhouse Grill and Bar, 9155 E. Tanque Verde Road.
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