Letβs just imagine β stay with me here β youβre at Guadalajara Grill, and you were so distracted by the mariachi guitar that you forgot to tell the tableside salsa lady to make yours freakishly spicy. (Yeah right, like that would ever happen.) Well, hereβs a solution! Get the chiles in your margarita.
The JalapeΓ±o Margarita at Guadalajara Original Grill, 1220 E. Prince Road, will satisfy even the fiercest craving for capsicum. Itβs a gut-punch of fiery jalapeΓ±o-infused tequila, lightened up with a little orange juice and some fresh cilantro. The zesty tang of the lime hits you first, followed by that familiar slow burn we all live for.
And at $8 for a 16-ounce goblet, this is something you can feel good about. Itβs no secret that the north- side Mexican restaurant has some of the best drink deals in town. During happy hour from 3-6 p.m. weekdays and 10 p.m.-close Friday and Saturday nights, house margaritas are only $3. (The house is practically the same, sin jalapeΓ±o.)
Bartender Noah Gustafson makes his margarita mix by the 5-gallon jug, and on a busy night he can easily go through nine of them. He likens it to a βmargarita factory,β where thereβs a little something for everyone: fruity margaritas sweetened with prickly pear puree, stiff Margatinis, 30-plus tequilas and a cylindrical three-layered frozen concoction called the Bandera.
For the jalapeΓ±o drink, Gustafson takes a bottle of Zapopan reposado tequila and fills it with cilantro and sliced peppers. After about three days, the infusion is complete and itβs ready to drink. (If youβre brave enough.) I found the burning sensation a perfect complement to the plump tomato salsa, which seemed almost sweet by comparison.
It definitely got me warmed up for that steaming molcajete stone bowl, with shrimp so hot they sear your fingers as you struggle to get the tails off. But oh, they taste so wonderful when they go down. Well, the first one does at least, before it burns your tongue ...
