The search for the perfect margarita

Happy Cinco de Mayo.

No doubt Americans like to celebrate Mexican culture because of our country's die-hard devotion to beans, cheese and anything wrapped in a tortilla.

Then there's that other delicacy favored in Mexico and embraced by our own: tequila - specifically in the form of the margarita.

So as we tip our sombreros today, we raise our glasses with some margaritas you can find right here in Athens, in case you're up for a celebration tonight (or soon, anyway). Our dedicated staff in the ABH Living section graciously ventured out, taking on the arduous task of margarita research, tasting and sampling a variety to share with you some of the best. Truth is, we know, after one margarita, the next doesn't matter much. But still, you want to start with a treat.

lud!

Agua Linda, 1376 Prince Ave.

Oh, Agua Linda. Is it that your margaritas are really super good, or is it the joy of sitting on your patio on a warm spring (or muggy summer) evening, sharing a pitcher with friends that flavors it so well? It doesn't matter, really. Agua Linda has a variety of flavors, frozen or on the rocks, by the pitcher ($15.99) or by the glass ($3.99, for house). JULIE PHILLIPS

Casa Mia, 269 North Hull St.

I tried two margaritas at Casa Mia. The first was a passion fruit margarita, frozen with salt. Pretty nice presentation. It was made with Juarez tequila, and I couldn't taste it. I'd had the passion fruit margarita there before and remembered it as tasting like heaven in a glass. This time it tasted good, but I wouldn't have called it heaven. It was fruity, kind of smoothie-like, not too sweet, not too bitter - a little tart. Rating 7. $6-$8.

I also had the mango margarita frozen with salt. It was slightly better than the passion fruit. Same tequila, same smoothie-like texture and fruity taste. Rating: 8. $6-$8.

If you want a variety of flavors, I recommend Casa Mia. APRIL BURKHART

I have to second April on that. After hearing her take, I decided to check out Casa Mia myself. I had the house "Mia Rita" with Patrón, and I was not disappointed. ERIN HUGHES

Cutter’s Pub, 120 E. Clayton St.

I had the house margarita on the rocks with salt, made with Montezuma tequila. It comes in kind of a small glass. I could not taste the tequila, and it wasn't too sweet, tart or bitter. Nate was my bartender. He was very nice and entertaining, but once he found out I was doing "margarita research," he got a little nervous. But all turned out okay because, overall, it was a very good margarita, with a good atmosphere and service at Cutter's. Rating: 8. $4 happy hour price. APRIL BURKHART

Farm 255, 255 W. Washington St.

For the record, Farm 255 has my favorite margarita in town, the seasonally available blood orange margarita. It's almost transcendent - and unfortunately, not to be had this time of year.

Still, the house margarita is a good bet, and the bartenders can always be counted on for cocktails that are to be savored, not shot down the gullet.

Served on the rocks, this one came without salt, but the addition of fresh orange juice makes a notable difference, so much that I didn't miss the delicious sting of the flakes on the rim even a little bit. Just right. Rating: 8. APRIL MOORE SKELTON

40 Watt Club, 285 W. Washington St.

I asked the bartender if he could make me a margarita, and he said he could. Well, what ended up in front of me was more of a tequila-based screwdriver. But to be fair, he did say that they didn't have all the ingredients there, so he made do with what he had. He added that if he DID have all the ingredients, he'd make me "a great margarita." All that said, the drink tasted pretty good. I give this one a 5 for the effort. But if you head to the 40 Watt on Cinco de Mayo, you should probably just stick to the tall-boy PBRs. ANN MARIE MIANI

La Fiesta, 1395 College Station Road

I had a house frozen margarita with salt. For a frozen margarita, I found it to be a little liquidy. The Pepe Lopez tequila was premixed. The flavor overall was balanced, not too tart and not too strong. It was not terribly potent, either. For $4, it was not that bad of a value. On a 1-to-10 scale, this one earns a 5. JOE VANHOOSE

La Fiesta, 995 Hawthorne Ave.

I had a frozen strawberry margarita. You could taste the tequila, but the strawberry masked it pretty well. There were large chunks of ice at the bottom of the glass, so that impeded consumption a bit as I had to keep taking the straw out every time I took a sip. I can't remember what type of tequila went into the drink, but I am assuming it was a bottom-shelf tequila. It was very basic and not very memorable. On a 1-to-10 scale, this one earns a 4. ANN MARIE MIANI

I decided to try the Texas-style margarita (on the rocks with salt), as I couldn't recall actually ever having one before. (It is pretty crazy the amount of different margaritas that are out there. I mean, what ever happened to good ol' tequila+triple sec+sour mix?) Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised by this 'rita, which the menu said contained orange juice, Gran Gala and Sauza Tequila. The o.j. flavor (or the tequila; I couldn't really tell which) had a nice bite to it that was a welcome change to the overly sour-mixed aftertastes of the renditions I'm used to. The fact that I finished this one in less than 10 minutes is a testament to how much I liked it. (Either that, or it indicates a drinking problem, which Ann Marie so kindly pointed out.) Nevertheless, La Fiesta won me over with its Texas-style margarita, and I'd highly recommend trying it out. 8.5 ERIN HUGHES

Lands Downe Road Irish Pub, 262 College Ave.

I had a lime margarita, on ice with salt. It was made with Tortilla Gold tequila and I could taste it at first, so it was a little strong - but the more I drank, the better it started to taste (funny thing about margaritas sometimes). So about halfway through, I was pretty happ

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