The Patrón Tequila Search for Margarita of the Year and National Margarita Day

Did you know, much like fashion, margaritas come in a variety of styles? In addition to the classic recipe, margaritas can also be spicy, smoky, herbal, tropical, etc. In honor of National Margarita Day, we’re going to highlight a few of the delicious, non-traditional margarita styles (as well as a classic), made with Patrón Tequila and created by some of the most gifted bartenders, who are all competing in the Patrón Tequila Search for Margarita of the Year competition (more on that below). Today we highlight three favorites that not only wowed us with their visually pleasing aesthetic but with their creativity in flavor as well.

Rosa Picante Margarita, a Spicy margarita
Created by Jordan Corney, Bohanan’s

2 oz Patrón Silver
.75 oz Fresh Lime Juice
.5 oz Simple Syrup
.5 oz Ginger Syrup
.5 barspoon Jalapeño Oil or a Fresh Jalapeño Slice
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake with ice to chill. Strain into a chilled cocktail coupe that has been half-rimmed with rose sea salt, and top with a dash of rose water. Garnish with a rose petal, if available.

Stargarita, a Tropical margarita
Created by Bettina Barnoczki, Faena Hotel

1.5 oz Patrón Silver Infused with Mint Tea*
.5 oz Patrón Citrónge Mango
.5 oz Fresh Lime Juice
.5 oz Star Fruit Puree or Muddled Star Fruit
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake with ice to chill. Strain over fresh ice into a salt-rimmed Collins glass. Garnish with a slice of starfruit and a lime wheel.

* Patrón Silver Infused with Mint Tea:
Steep 4 mint tea bags per 12 oz of Patrón Silver for 30 minutes. Remove teabags.

Hacienda Margarita, the classic margarita
Created by Andrés Moran from Guadalajara, Mexico

1.5 oz Patrón Silver
.5 oz Patrón Citrónge Orange
.5 oz Fresh Lime Juice
.25 oz Agave Nectar
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake with ice to chill. Strain over fresh ice into a double old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Have we peaked your thirst level yet? We’re certainly ready for one of these delicious margaritas to toast the day and are counting the minutes until 5 pm. As we stated above, top bartenders from across the U.S. and Mexico (seven to be exact) are competing in the Patrón Tequila Search for Margarita of the Year competition, creating recipes for seven different styles of margaritas (herbal, spicy, smoky, savory, modern, tropical and classic), based on what they think makes the #PerfectMargarita, be it their personal influences, culinary trends, the local flavors from their hometowns, etc. The competition starts today, National Margarita Day, with the winning “Margarita of the Year” recipe being revealed on Cinco de Mayo. The best part is you, our fellow margarita lovers, can log in to www.margaritaoftheyear.com, and vote for your favorite recipe starting today, until April 15th.

The seven competing cocktails were created by Stephen Halpin from Dallas (smoky margarita), Bettina Barnoczki from Miami (tropical margarita featured above), Jordan Corney from San Antonio (spicy margarita featured above), Ryan Brown from Tampa (herbal margarita), Laura Newman from Brooklyn (savory margarita), Rosie Ruiz from Los Angeles (modern margarita), and Andrés Moran from Guadalajara, Mexico (classic margarita featured above).

will you raise a glass to this classic cocktail tonight? Will you help Patrón Tequila Search for Margarita of the Year? What’s your favorite margarita style? Share your thoughts in the comments.