Celebrate National Margarita Day in San Antonio

Travel Distilled shows how to Celebrate National Margarita Day in San Antonio, Texas

One of my favorite US cities is definitely San Antonio, Texas, where they have big plans to celebrate National Margarita Day (Feb 22) in style.

San Antonio shares with my own Tucson the honor of being a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, the only two such cities in the USA. That’s quite the bragging rights when it comes to food – and drinks. I like to think nobody makes margaritas anywhere in the USA the way they make them in Arizona, though I’m prepared to give San Antonio a break.

The city certainly has a ton of events planned for National Margarita Day, and some of their best bars have been creating special margaritas for the occasion. So whether you want a prickly pear margarita, a smoked jalapeño margarita, or even a pickle margarita (what?), San Antonio is the place to be.

Boudro’s Prickly Pear Margarita

Ingredients:

3/4 cup, tequila
1/2 cup, triple sec
1/4 cup simple syrup
1 cup of fresh lime juice
1/4 cup of prickly pear cactus juice
1 blender full of ice
1 lime (cut into 6 wedges)

Instructions:

Simple syrup: Combine white sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir. Once the sugar is fully dissolved, remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool. The resulting liquid can be stored in a plastic squeeze bottle, which makes it an easy way to add to cocktails. The ratio of sugar to water can be left to personal preference, although traditionally it is one part water to two parts sugar.

Pour all ingredients (except the cactus pear juice) into the blender. You will need a powerful electric blender that can chop up the ice. Turn on the blender and then successively add more ice and blend until it has a sorbet-like consistency. Pour into a cocktail glass, pour the prickly pear puree on top and add a lime wedge.

Paramour’s Smoked Jalapeño Margarita

Paramour will be featuring this complex but well-balanced spicy marg on National Margarita Day. Our favorite touch is the mezcal which offers a unique smoky taste and aroma to the traditional rocks marg. This is handcrafted by our very own Rey Gonzalez, who has been awarded for his signature margarita recipes.

Ingredients:

3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce grand mariner
3 dashes orange bitters
Pinch sea salt
1/2 ounce Blanco tequila infused with jalapeño
1/2 ounce el silencio mezcal
.25 organic agave nectar

Rim glass with homemade smoked sea salt and Chile de Arbol. Garnish with 2 sliced jalapeños.

Hard Rock Café’s Tropical Rita

Description: Fruity, tropical blend of fresh juices, mixed and poured over ice.

Ingredients:

1.50 oz House-Infused Strawberry Tequila (premium silver tequila and strawberries)
0.50 oz Cointreau Orange Liqueur
1.00 oz Pineapple juice
0.50 oz Fresh Lime juice
0.50 oz Monin Guava Syrup–shaken 10x with ice and strain over fresh ice. Garnish with pineapple wedge on the rim and a pineapple leaf.

Iron Cactus’ Z Honeysuckle Margarita

Description: The delicious and unique Z Honeysuckle Margarita is simple, yet unlike any other. It is made with top-notch ingredients — Pepe Z Blanco tequila, Martine Honeysuckle Liqueur, fresh lime juice, and agave nectar.

Savor’s Savorado Margarita

This margarita has a slight creaminess because it features avocado, with hints of acidity from pineapple and lime juices and a hint of spice at the end from the Pasilla pepper.

Ingredients:

Avocado
Pasilla Pepper-infused Espolon Blanco,
Cointreau
Pineapple
Lime
Agave Nectar

The Savor Margarita will be available at Savor.

They will be offering $2 off margaritas all day at Savor, Live Fire Kitchen (Farmers Market) and CIA Bakery Cafe

Pickle Margarita from Squezebox for National Margarita Day in San Antonio in Texas — Pickle Margarita from Squezebox

Squeezebox Pickle Margarita

Description: For all of the pickle lovers out there – enjoy this cocktail with muddled strawberries and serrano peppers, lime juice, mezcal, simple syrup and a dash of pickle juice. Twang’s Pickle Punch salt and pickle skewered garnish makes for the perfect finale to this cocktail.

Recipe:

Twangerz pickle punch rim
Muddled strawberry/ Serrano pepper
.5 lime juice
.75 Oz pickle juice
.75 simple syrup
1.5 oz mezcal

Nuestra Margarita

Available at the Esquire Tavern.

Description: Enjoy this tasty classic at the Esquire Tavern shaken, served up, or on the rocks.

Recipe: Blanco tequila, key lime, french triple-sec, and kosher salt

Range’s Tres Agaves Reposado Margarita

There’s a classic Tres Agaves Reposado margarita on the menu at Range. The simple ingredients offer a deliciously clean hand-shaken cocktail, easy for sipping over snacks at the bar, or paired with a full meal.

Ingredients:

Tres Agaves Reposado
Simple Syrup
Cointreau
Orange juice

Deco Pizzeria

Deco Pizzeria’s Ritas are made with fresh lemon & lime juice, Agavales Tequila, Aguave Nectore & orange liqueur served in a glass lined with Twang Chile Lime Salt and garnished with a crispy pickled green bean. The restaurant will have $3 Frozen Deco Ritas ALL day in celebration of National Margarita Day!

Johnny Hernandez Restaurants

Home to some of the best Margaritas in town, Burgerteca, The Fruteria and La Gloria have no shortage of drinks on their menus. For San Antonians and tourists alike, the Johnny Hernandez Restaurants are a must visit destination.

Burgerteca

Burgerteca will be offering the following specials during National Margarita Day

$5 House Margarita (rocks/ frozen)
$7 Blood Orange Margarita with El Milagro Tequila (Image attached)
$8 Top Shelf Milagro Margarita with Grand Marnier
$9 Beer Ritas (XX or Tecate light w/ El Jimador Tequila)
$9 Mango Ritas (Frozen Margarita with Blue Moon Mango)

The Fruteria

The Fruteria will be offering the following specials during National Margarita Day

$5 House Margarita
$6 Infusion Margaritas
$6 Piña Rosa Margarita (Image attached)

La Gloria (Pearl & Dominion locations)

VOTED BEST MARGARITA IN SAN ANTONIO 2018, 2019 & 2020

La Gloria will be offering the following specials during National Margarita Day

$7 Top Shelf Milagro Margarita Shakers (Rocks ONLY, While Supplies Last)
$7 Milagro Red Margarita (Milagro Silver, Patron Citronge, grapefruit juice, lime juice, simple syrup, sweet & salty citrus rim)

Ácenar

Ácenar is extending happy hour for National Margarita Day from 3 – 7 p.m. and will also be offering a reverse happy hour from 9 – 11 p.m.

Patron Mango Habanero Margarita

A spicy margarita that is complemented by the mango and lime juices blend.

Patron Silver tequila
Patron citronge
Mango purée
Lime juice
Habanero simple syrup

The General Public

In honor of National Margarita Day, enjoy a $1 Sweet El Diablo Margarita Frozen from 3-6PM!

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

Mix-Your-Own Margarita

Choose from 7 tequilas, 3 rims, 7 flavors & top it off with a Coronarita or Grand Mariner

They also have Coronaritas, Frozen Margaritas, Medal Margarita, Pineapple Margarita, Berry Margarita & a Patron Top Shelf Margarita

La Fonda on Main’s Santa Margarita

Description: This is a margarita like no other! Layered with unique and complex flavors, the Santa Margarita is both visually striking and satisfyingly refreshing. The sweetness of the St-Germaine pairs perfectly with the bitter Aperol, bringing all the flavors together.

Ingredients:

Don Julio Silver
St-Germaine Elderflower liqueur
lemon and lime juice
Agave
Aperol

Cappy’s Restaurant’s Tijuana Julep

Description: The Tijuana Julep is a bright and modern twist on the original mint julep. The herbaceous fresh cilantro pairs well with the tequila and fruit flavors. Finished with a surprising sprinkle of jalapeño powder, this punch of flavor will leave you wanting more.

Ingredients:

Jose Cuervo Gold
Fresh cilantro
Lime juice
Orange juice
Agave
Jalapeño powder

Cappyccino’s Pink Sombrero

Description: The Pink Sombrero is an elegant margarita elevated by the distinctive grapefruit and vanilla flavors of Gran Centanario. Bubbly moscato is added in place of agave to provide sweetness and an invigorating dry finish.

Ingredients:

Gran Centenario Plata

Cointreau

Bubbly moscato

Lemon juice

Margaritaville’s Spicy Mango Margarita

This margarita was inspired by Mangonadas, that sweet taste of mangos with the fiery taste of chilies from the chamoy. Margaritaville brainstormed a margarita as close to that taste as possible and came up with: The Spicy Mango Rita.

Ingredients:

Ole Smoky Mango Habanero Whiskey
1800 Reposado Tequila
Margarita Mix

La Fogata’s Pomegranate Margarita

Ingredients:

1.5 ounce, Casamigos Tequila Silver
1 ounce, Cointreau
1 ounce Pama liquor
.5 ounce, Lime Juice
1 ounce Sweet & Sour

Mariachi Bar’s Big Red Rita

What’s more San Antonio than Big Red and Margaritas? Featuring their classic frozen margarita with an ice cold bottle of Big Red to top it off, the Big Red Rita is a house favorite.