The Genesee Grande

Courtney gives this margarita 7 out of 10 lime wedges.


We walked into the bar at the Genesee Grande, parched from our long trek down from the law school. It was dark, full of rich woods and richer business people enjoying an after work cocktail. We went to the bar, shocking the bartender by ordering margaritas instead of scotch or bourbon. The bartender wiped the dust off the bottle of tequila at this classy bar and proceeded to pour it, followed by triple sec and sours. Shockingly, there was no shaking or stirring of any kind, although a lime wedge was thrown in for good measure. For the first time in the mission, the margarita came packaged in some much appreciated stemware, although the salt we asked for was missing. It was a little too strong for my liking, but it was a nice tequila so I didn't mind. The taste was very nice, although in my opinion missed the traditional margarita flavor, probably because no lime juice was added (squeezing the garnish helped in this regard, and I would suggest to that in the future one ask for two limes). Because I found it to be lacking that classic lime flavor, while I enjoyed the drink I thought it resembled more a tequila sour (if such a thing exists) than a margarita. As was the feel of the bar itself, this cocktail was more a wingtip pounding pavement than a flip-flop in the sand.

Angela gives the Genesse margarita 8 out of 10 limes wedges.

High fives to beautiful friend Bridget who joined our mission. So far, the Genesee margarita is my personal favorite. Customarilly, we orderd the margaritas "mission style," that is, on the rocks with salt, but alas, a few (arguably negligible) factors were faulty. Despite our request, there was no salt. There was no shaking of the cocktail, not even a stir. The lime was carelessly pitched into the drink that just cost me $6.50. Oh dear. With so many misses (even before a sip!), how, do you ask, does this attempt at a margarita deserve praise? The taste, baby (and the stemware, but above all the taste). The balance of sweet and sour was near perfection, and mmmmmm... te te tequila! Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! I like tequila. While hitting the sweet and sour balance, this mixture also allowed the lushious tequila flavor to tickle your tongue. It brought a slow grin to my face as my shoulders dropped in relaxation, but woe is me, not on the beach. This is an excellent night-time, take the edge off, margarita. It is not a drink-all-day on the beach, in the sun margarita, hence the less than perfect score.