Sunday, May 31, 2009

Hafner's

Hafner's Tavern is located on Taft Road in North Syracuse. While taverns are not known for margaritas, we gave it a shot since this local hangout is usually crowded. Special thanks to Sonya for taking notes and, more importantly, buying the drinks!

Angela gives this margarita 1 out of 10 lime wedges.


Oh dear. This margarita was a disaster. I first considered giving this margarita a 4/10 lime wedges, mainly for the heavy pour of tequila, albeit cheap tequila. But considering whether I'd ever order a margarita from Hafner's again, the answer is an iron clad NO. This margarita tasted like a lemon-lime jolly rancher. It was so sweet, I was concerned my teeth might rot. What did the lovely breasted bartender put in it from the soda dispenser??? Lemonade!!! But not real lemonade. No doubt it was Minute Maid type lemon flavored sugar water. That stuff is like poison and just plain gross. Terrible terrible terrible. That is all.

WARNING: Hafner's margaritas may cause pucker face!



Courtney gives this margarita 3.5 out of 10 lime wedges.

"Wow.... this was a disappointment. As a northern 'burb native, Hafner's has become one of my favorite spots for a great meal and a few beers. Apparently that's what I should keep going for, because this margarita was tough to drink and even tougher to finish. It was like drinking a sweet-tart, which a 19 year old sorority girl might enjoy but not margarita elitists like Angela and myself. Watching the (young, cute, scantily clad...I add for those readers that would enjoy a margarita more based on who made it) bartender make this drink caused our jaws to drop with every move she made. 'Is that lime juice from concentrate? Montezuma's tequila?! Where did she learn how to salt a rim...it's just globbed on in a couple spots!! Oh my...what is....LEMONADE?! Did she really just add lemonade?!?' To top it off: $5 a drink. I can add some points to a margarita if it is a steal, but a $5 margarita should be more than cheap tequila and lemonade consumed in a dark bar while being hit on by men not deterred by my wedding ring. I definitely learned my lesson, and the next time I go to Hafner's it will be for good pub food and a pint."

The Retreat

The Retreat in Liverpool, NY offers frozen and traditional margaritas as well as Strawberry and Raspberry flavors. Special thanks to our photographer and scribe, Sonya.

Courtney gives The Retreat 6 out of 10 limes wedges.


"Feeling the need to drink a margarita near some body of water, we ventured to Liverpool. The Retreat is next to the lake and has a patio, which is about as tropical as you're going to get in Syracuse. Having heard tales of plastic cups and lackluster margaritas, I had low expectations but knew that the mission demanded a sample. The waitress was not amused by our explanation of the mission, which would have immediately lowered the score if I was not such a fair person. But, I definitely docked half a point for the next words out of her mouth: frozen or on the rocks. Frozen? Frozen?! We just explained to you our very serious quest, and you asked if we wanted a frozen margarita? Sorry, Retreat, this purist doesn't do frozen. Very quickly the waitress returned with our margaritas, on the rocks. The speed of service did make me question the quality of drink, as did the presentation. The glass was quite small and there was no garnish, although the rim was well-salted. Since we were seated and not at the bar, we didn't have the benefit of watching how the margarita was made, which made analysis slightly more difficult. The margarita was quite sour, which I enjoyed but note that it was on the brink of bitterness. Something in it tasted quite cheap, but since it was light on the tequila I'm guessing the subpar culprit was the sour mix. In sum, this was a completely average margarita and the $4.25 price was neither a ripoff nor a bargain given the size of the drink."



We take this mission very seriously.



Angela gives The Retreat 6.5 out of 10 limes wedges.


The Retreat has a large, pleasant patio and is one of my favortie locations for drinking outside on a nice day. Weeks ago (pre-margarita mission), I did just that with my dear friend Ryan (classmate and Tejas native). It was a perfect sunny day for a margarita. Since we were sitting outside, the margarita was delivered in a plastic cup, and not just any plactic cup. It was the really flimsy clear plastic ones that hold maybe 6 ounces. No salt. Oh dear. At least there was a lime wedge. Since the experience was pre-mission, pre- self acclaimed margarita master, and because The Retreat regularly attracts a robust crowd, Courtney and I saw it our duty to our followers and all of Syracuse to go and give it a fair shot. Nice salt job. No lime? I got a lime on my plastic cup weeks ago, and no lime on a real glass? The sweet and sour balance was surprisingly good. It had a little sting, probably from a well tequila. I think we learned here that it is important to observe the making of the margarita. Overall, it was average. There was no blissful hallucination of a tall, dark, handsome and shirtless man on the beach offering to lotion my back. Is that too high a standard in the 'Cuse? Nah. Nevertheless, when the moment calls for a margarita and I find myself at The Retreat, I'd order one here, unlike Hafner's, where I would run like Forrest.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Ruby Tuesday's

Ruby Tuesday's offers three margaritas: the Classic Sauza Gold, Ultimate Patron, and Strawberry. Because the Misses are both purists and cheap, they sampled the Classic, described as "fresh lime juice mixed with DeKuyper Triple Sec and Sauza Gold Tequila to create a drink that's already a classic."


Courtney gives the Classic 7.5 out of 10 lime wedges.

"I have to admit that initially I thought the bartender, Sonya, seemed a little too German to make a decent margarita (perhaps I judged her harshly based on her habit of coming to stay with us a weekend and leaving seven months later). But, Sonya delivered an expertly prepared and garnished margarita that instantly impressed me with it's perfectly salted rim and beautifully positioned lime wedge. The minute this margarita hit my lips, however, I knew something was awry. Was it the sour mix? Did the lime juice spoil? It turns out this foreign margarita flavor was intentional, because Ruby's adds OJ to the Classic. Despite the typical company-line assertions from the bartender that the juice was "fresh squeezed," I still felt the orange juice flavor detracted from an otherwise fine margarita. Without the OJ, this margarita would have gotten at least an 8 for presentation and use of high quality ingredients. That being said, it was still a very good margarita and a great value at only $5."


Angela gives the Classic 6.5 out of 10 lime wedges.

Excellent presentation, including the lovely and beautiful bartender, Ms. Sonya. I agree with my partner that the salted rim and the fresh lime wedge were absolutely flawless. However, in searching for the perfect balance between sweet and sour, this one tipped towards the sour side. For me, one a bit too sour is much preferred over one too sweet. (see Hafner's post for comments of one too sweet). Nevertheless, the balance was off. While I appreciate the fresh squeezed orange and lime juices as opposed to artificial juices, I think too much natural juice is what resulted in this margarita being overly tart and overpowered the triple sec orange-flavored liqueur sweetner. I agree with my partner's comment that this margarita would be better without the OJ, leaving the sweet and sour balancing to the lime juice and triple sec.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Welcome!

Welcome fellow margarita-lovers to a little (lime) slice of heaven on earth. For those of you unfamiliar with our mission...well, congratulations for not hearing us talk about it yet! Now that we have a blog, the rest of the world can share in our journey to greatness. Check back for reviews, updates, when and where to meet us if you want to join the mission, and all things margarita related. Because remember, "when life gives you limes, make margaritas!"

--Angela and Courtney (The Margarita Misses)