3 Fun Detroit Margarita Recommendations for National Tequila Day

Certain things make me nervous. Watching my son take his drivers test, sitting by a grill on a perfect Michigan summer night and NOT opening it to check on the burgers, and margarita recommendations. To be specific - three Detroit margarita recommendations. So I’m going to write from what I know (crazy, right?) and give three for you to try today.

Hey Jim - isn’t Honchos the place on Main Street in Clarkston where people hang out before heading to Pine Knob? Yep. And I’ve spent many a day on their patio just chilling out watching the cars go by and drinking a margarita. You can’t go wrong with any of their infused margaritas - you’ll actually taste the flavors without losing that clean bite of a good margarita. The pitchers hold up well too (even on a hot day….especially on a hot day). Grab a couple of tacos, get some of their chips and salsas and have a drink. It’s a great vibe with even better people. Out of all the Union Joints in the area, this is at the top of my list.

Now let’s be honest, you can’t go wrong hitting any of the fine restaurants in Mexicantown. But I remember taking the drive from the Detroit Grand Prix to Taqueria Mi Pueblo on Dix St for the first time on a recommendation and being pleasantly surprised by all of it. This is a place where people in the know go for Mexican food, and their bartenders don’t mess around. There are all sorts of specialty drinks there - but for my money you can’t go wrong with standard margarita. This place has such a cool vibe (I’ve used the word vibe twice - it’s important when you’re chilling out having a margarita). Old school. Legit. Awesome.

Okay, I live in Waterford and I told you I’d share what I know - and I know that Mexico Lindo has been part of this community for a long time and their owner Liz is one of a kind (we really got to know them when the great Waterford Valentines Day sign began…remember their sign about pink tacos). Lindo is a place with locals everywhere, but you don’t feel left out - to be honest, I’ve never sat in the restaurant part of Lindo…we always wind up at a table in the back. Talk to your server, check out the bar and ask them what to get - there’s always a cool new margarita on the menu (the margarita tower is magical). And if Liz is there, the place is electric - that woman is a walking party favor. Again, it’s all about the vibe.

By no means are these the only good places in Detroit for margaritas - but I promised you I’d write based on experiences, and these are three places I’m very familiar with…and would have no problem giving you a recommendation. Or meeting there for lunch. Or possibly right now so we can discuss the Lions. Okay, now I’m thirsty. 

Since Memorial Day I have been fortunate enough to attend a wedding, beachside barbeques, and neighborhood get-togethers. Though food options varied, I did notice hard seltzers were a common beverage. There were multiple brands, so I decided to rank the ones that I tried.

Bon & Viv Spiked Seltzer can be credited as the first official can to hit the shelves in 2013. Or you can go back to Zima as being a pioneer in this carbonated alcohol space. Nowadays, it seems like every brand has their own variation of spiked seltzer. With limited creativity in terms of flavor options (most people would prefer a simple pineapple flavor to a green apple, cherry, celery mashup any time), now certain beverage companies are swapping out the vodka mix for tequila. Furthermore, funny commercials and vibrant cans allow different marketing angles on seemingly similar drinks.

Speaking of marketing, a thinner can is often associated with containing a lower-calorie drink. A CNN  op-ed speculates that most hard seltzers are displayed in these taller, skinny cans to distinguish themselves in a crowded liquor store.

In creating this ranking of the best hard seltzers, there were certain criteria that I considered to be most important. Taste is a broad category. It was imperative here that the drink was smooth, did not contain a syrupy aftertaste and actually tasked like the flavor it suggests. Then, I looked at the overall "nutrition" facts. Finally, I'd ask myself a question: "Would I drink another one, or would I buy a case of this repeatedly?"

It's important to note that I disqualified top beer brands. While I applaud their efforts for the attempt at entering the hip space, I have yet to find one where their best product was not actually their beer. Lastly, I am not a big fruit juice person. Nor do I typically like citrus mixed with alcohol. In this case, however, there are four hard seltzers where I find the fruit flavor enjoyable. My top choice here is now a brand that I do keep stocked in my cooler.

What I liked most about Truly is that they are accessible. Many festivals, concerts and sporting events carry Truly. So there is consistency. They seem to stay in their lane and always deliver on their flavors the distribute at mass-events, as opposed to trying to reinvent their options. There are 100 calories in a Truly and it's 5% alcohol by volume. Selected flavor: Wild Berry.

This is my favorite can of the bunch, but looks aren't everything. Wild Basin certainly knows who they are visually, as their logo perfectly encapsulates the outdoor and chill vibe of hard seltzer. What holds them back is that they are not always easy to find in New England. Various liquor stores carry them, but not a ton of restaurants do. There are 100 calories in a Truly and it's 5% alcohol by volume. Selected flavor: Lime Coconut (there's good reason why this is part of their "paradise" mix pack.

This is my hard seltzer OG. Fun fact: when I google "White Claw" a sponsored Truly option is the first result to pop up. I love a little friendly seltzer competition. In full disclosure, I am a surfer and White Claw has done a tremendous job inserting their brand into that community. Their tagline of "those who bring the wave," has worked well. They say they are "inspired by the power, purity and potential of ocean waves," and so am I. This is a simple explanation that centers around the fact that when I drink a White Claw I always enjoy it. There are 100 calories in a Truly and it's 5% alcohol by volume. Selected flavor: Black Cherry.

There's no complicated answer here. It has the best taste, is refreshing, and the brand I select when given the option. I like how you feel like carbonation base as opposed to fruit flavor completely taking over. That's when I get suspicious of artificial additives. High Noon seems to have mastered the recipe of a natural fruit juice percentage to alcohol. Their new tequila seltzers are consistently enjoyable as well. There's a slight dip in alcohol volume at 4.5%, but it too has 100 calories. Selected flavor: Watermelon.