Commentary

My grandmother Mike, Houston Press criminal court reporter from the 1920s through the Sixties, drank margaritas when I was a child. Her formula was lots of tequila, the merest splash of triple sec, fresh limes, and a few drops of simple syrup, shaken like a martini. Only wimps required ice. I wish I could say that she taught me how, but I was too young and silly to appreciate quality in my own back yard. It wasn't until my first swallow of Güero's Hornitos Perfecto that my heart and my palate remembered the taste of Mike's margaritas. She knew what she was doing and so does Güero's. My first choice in Austin, hands down. And I bet it woulda been Mike's, too. -- MM Pack

I like a margarita that tastes fresh and natural, sweet and sour, orange and lime. It need not be large, it need not be slushy, but must tickle the palate with a citrusy yet delicate dance. My vote for best margarita goes to Z'Tejas' La Perfecta. The extra cointreau and a dash of orange juice they add fall into perfect angle of repose with each other. The result: a full-flavored drink that is both smooth and feisty. -- Rachel Feit

The philosophy behind the perfect margarita is as much about what is outside the glass as what is in it. The margarita is the drink of a tropical vacation, a festive party. No place in Austin captures this relaxed spirit as much as Fonda San Miguel. If there is an architecture of the margarita this is it -- carved wooden doors, soothing fountain, and sun-dappled interior courtyard overflowing with tropical foliage. Their house margarita is a perfect blend of sweet and sour, bearing the unmistakable mark of craftsmanship both in and outside the glass. -- Paul Wintle

Ninfa's Top Shelf is refreshing and has a good flavor. But I really like a homemade 1-2-3 margarita. One part Bols Triple Sec, two parts fresh lime juice, and three parts Sauza Silver Tequila. -- Dudley Houghton

Joe's margarita from Maudie's was the best -- a good balance of tartness to alcohol and one of the few where I could actually taste the tequila. My standards are high. My husband Dudley makes the best margarita in town, but I could tell there was real citrus and real tequila in Maudie's margarita. -- Mari Houghton

My vote goes to the Z'Tejas' Famous Margarita with the Fruit Infused Patrón floating on the top. Perfect balance between sweet and tart. Perfect glass, not too big so the tequila was still there. And it was nice and cold. -- Emily Marshall

The Hornitos Perfecto at Güero's is my favorite. The Horna in Hornitos refers to cooking the agave in a slow oven (a Horna), never carmelizing the sugars. It is a big and bold tequila. The Güero's folks put just enough lime juice and orange liqueur to enhance the tequila, not overpower it. -- Wes Marshall

Call me a Philistine, but I always drink my margaritas frozen with salt, and I stick to the "bottom shelf," leaving the fancy tequilas and top shelf concoctions for somebody else. To me, margaritas are meant to be heat-beating refreshment -- tart and almost creamy in consistency -- summer relief in a sweating, lime-garnished glass. My "best of show" goes to Nuevo Leon for size and sip-a-bility. Nuevo Leon's margaritas (I'm talking only about the frozen ones, here) have the limey kick I like, and don't taste too strongly of sweet and sour. Best of all, they're big! -- Rebecca Chastenet de Géry