How to Determine You're Drinking a Great Margarita

SAN ANGELO, TX — Margarita means “daisy” in Spanish. The earliest public mention of the drink was in the days of Prohibition. In 1936, Iowa newspaper editor James Graham reported finding the delicious cocktail across the border from San Diego, in Tijuana. Prior, the American “Daisy” drink, made popular during the Prohibition days, was blended with brandy, not tequila. But, it was not until rich Texan socialites discovered the drink, perhaps in Juarez, in the early 1960s, that its popularity took off.

Today, the blended frozen drink, or served “on the rocks”, is a Tex-Mex staple, with Norteño, or Northern Mexico roots.

So what makes a great tasting margarita?

We went to John Fuentes, proprietor of Fuentes Downtown Café at San Angelo’s city center, the intersection of Beauregard Avenue and Chadbourne Street, to find out.

[[{"fid":"40877","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Fuentes Downtown Cafe at San Angelo's city center. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Fuentes Downtown Cafe at San Angelo's city center. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"4":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Fuentes Downtown Cafe at San Angelo's city center. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Fuentes Downtown Cafe at San Angelo's city center. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)"}},"attributes":{"alt":"Fuentes Downtown Cafe at San Angelo's city center. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)","title":"Fuentes Downtown Cafe at San Angelo's city center. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)","class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"4"}}]]
Above: Fuentes Downtown Cafe at San Angelo's city center. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)

Fuentes considers himself a connoisseur of margaritas, and when traveling, he tastes and compares margaritas around the state. “The first thing to look at is the presentation,” Fuentes said. Look at the glass, how neatly the salt surrounds the rim, and the fruit.

The large schooner glass, in where margaritas at Fuentes are served, are considered a tradition from West Texas’ version of northern Mexico margarita lore. The schooner is also called a “fish bowl” because this is what the margaritas were called at the former Ma Crosby’s restaurant and cantina located on the famous Hildalgo Street, the main drag in Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico, which is across the border from Del Rio. Crosby’s is rumored to still have bullet holes in the walls of the old building from the days of Pancho Villa and the Mexican Revolution circa 1909. Ironically, a later war, the drug war of the 2000s, ended the 80-year tradition at Ma Crosby’s when it closed for good, but the margarita “fish bowl” tradition lives on at West Texas restaurants and bars like Fuentes Downtown Cafe.

Funetes segments margarita quality into three categories. There is the basic margarita, his best seller. Then there is Top Shelf, and Premium. Fuentes said as tequila companies capitalized on the popularity of their brands, the premium margarita gained momentum. That is, the quality of the margarita has much to do with the quality of the tequila.

Deciding whether to splurge on a premium margarita can be made by tasting first the establishment’s baseline offering. At Fuentes, the baseline margarita is served frozen and includes Juarez Tequila Gold. Fuentes said this is a quality tequila and perfect for his most popular margarita.

The taste of tequila in a margarita needs to be subtle, Fuentes said. That means, the drink should not be too sweet with citrus, but not too harsh with tequila. Since opening in 1984, Fuentes said he has experimented with various ingredients and tequilas and found what he calls his signature mix. “We tried changing the ingredients one time and customers started sending the margaritas back,” Fuentes said.

The first upgrade from the baseline drink are two signature Fuentes margaritas called the “Dos-arita” and the “Shiner-rita.” Both special margaritas feature an inverted bottle of Dos Equis Beer or Shiner Bock. A special clip holds the beer inverted to the side of the schooner inside. As you drink the margarita, the beer seeps into the glass from the open mouth of the beer bottle near bottom of the schooner. “When we serve one, usually other patrons will see it and order one as well,” Fuentes said. The Dos-arita and Shiner-rita are very popular with patrons from Goodfellow Air Force Base, Fuentes said.

[[{"fid":"40874","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"The \"Dos-arita\" at Fuentes Downtown Cafe. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"The \"Dos-arita\" at Fuentes Downtown Cafe. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"The \"Dos-arita\" at Fuentes Downtown Cafe. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"The \"Dos-arita\" at Fuentes Downtown Cafe. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)"}},"attributes":{"alt":"The \"Dos-arita\" at Fuentes Downtown Cafe. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)","title":"The \"Dos-arita\" at Fuentes Downtown Cafe. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)","class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"1"}}]]
Above: The "Dos-arita" at Fuentes Downtown Cafe. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)

“You have to drink them with a straw,” Fuentes said. Varying where the bottom of the straw is will offer the patron a wide variety of tastes. The beer and the margarita do not mix together immediately.

Tequila aficionados will want to try the Top Shelf margarita. At Fuentes, he recommends Sauza Conmemorativo Añejo tequila. The higher in quality the tequila, the more subtle the bite. Fuentes mixes his top shelf margaritas with Grand Marnier Liqueur, an orange-flavored cognac. An alternate Top Shelf tequila that is popular with guests at Fuentes is Cuervo 1800, a gold tequila.

[[{"fid":"40875","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"The prime ingredients for a Top Shelf margarita at Fuentes. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"The prime ingredients for a Top Shelf margarita at Fuentes. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"2":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"The prime ingredients for a Top Shelf margarita at Fuentes. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"The prime ingredients for a Top Shelf margarita at Fuentes. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)"}},"attributes":{"alt":"The prime ingredients for a Top Shelf margarita at Fuentes. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)","title":"The prime ingredients for a Top Shelf margarita at Fuentes. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)","class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"2"}}]]
Above: The prime ingredients for a Top Shelf margarita at Fuentes. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)

For premium tastes, Fuentes said his all-time favorite tequila is Patrón Silver or Reposado. But at Fuentes, you can order other types of Patrón tequila as well. Patrón margaritas are served in what is called a “Mule.” This is a stainless steel cup and generally customers will order this type of margarita on the rocks. The Mule margarita is made with Patrón tequila, Grand Marnier orange liqueur or Patron Triple Sec, lemon juice, and ginger beer to elevate a more citrus-y taste. For your Mule, you can choose your Patrón, usually Reposado or Añejo, Fuentes said.

[[{"fid":"40876","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"The Mule margarita,made with Patron tequila. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"The Mule margarita,made with Patron tequila. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"3":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"The Mule margarita,made with Patron tequila. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"The Mule margarita,made with Patron tequila. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)"}},"attributes":{"alt":"The Mule margarita,made with Patron tequila. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)","title":"The Mule margarita,made with Patron tequila. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)","class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"3"}}]]
Above: The Mule margarita, made with Patron tequila. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)

Fuentes said tequila production is on the upswing, with many new flavors and brands coming online. “But all of our tequilas, and even our avocados for guacamole, come from Mexico,” Fuentes said. He said we should be watching what happens with the renegotiations ongoing with the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA. How that turns out may determine the choices we have for making margaritas.

Fuentes encourages folks to try out other good margaritas downtown. “The Angry Cactus has a really good margarita,” Fuentes said. Other places on Fuentes’ list include The Zero One Ale House, Miss Hattie’s, and the Fat Boss Pub (“Talk to Marcus, he can make you a good margarita,” he said).

“All of these places put their own special twist on the margarita,” Fuentes said.