This is our inaugural post with Maraysa, the newest addition to the gang. She will be our Margarita consultant from now on. She also likes long walks on the beach. Her first report comes from the Park Slope Nacho Crawl.

On this past Saturday’s Park Slope Nacho Crawl I was bestowed with the highest honor one can achieve on any nacho endeavor: Margarita Correspondent. It was no surprise that I was chosen for this position, as Lee’s nickname for me is “Drunktown.” It could also be genetics, as my mother is interested in attending the next crawl—not for the nachos, but for the margaritas.

At our first location, Perch, I noticed the special, “Watermelon Margarita,” written behind the bar, and I got even more excited to take on my responsibilities than I already was. This margarita was served on the rocks—not my preference. I quickly overlooked that factor, since watermelon is a favorite flavor of mine. This watermelon flavoring was especially fresh, nicely masking the tequila taste. That freshness went extremely well with the freshness of Perch’s nachos (especially the corn salad topping the nachos off!). This watermelon margarita was the perfect cocktail to a) kick off a nacho crawl and b) enjoy outside on a sunny Saturday afternoon at 3pm.

Next, we moved on to Mezcal’s, where Rachel asked me if I was wearing my sunglasses still because I was drunk already—but I swear the table’s umbrella did not block the sun from my eyes! While my table enjoyed a pitcher of Sangria, I was intrigued by (and bound-by-title to) the “Sunset Margarita.” I had the choice of frozen or on the rocks, so I went with how I usually prefer my margaritas—frozen. I believe the Sunset Margarita had a splash of Sangria in it, and for this reason I think it would have tasted great on the rocks as well. The Sangria gave it a sweet kick. Under typical circumstances I would have found it too sweet, but I found it a welcome relief to the larger than normal amount of jalepenos on Mezcal’s nachos.

At Rachel’s Taqueria, our third stop, I quickly overlooked their, presumably, house special margarita, “Rachel’s,” for a frozen guava. Guava is my absolute favorite margarita flavor, so after a little experimenting on the first two stops, I got to indulge in a familiarity. Upon entering Rachel’s, I noticed a bartender pouring Island Oasis, the same drink mix my college’s cafeteria used to make smoothies, into a blender. Knowing this was where my guava flavor was coming from, I can only say good things! Maybe it’s my love for the flavor or the pretty glass it was served in, but I didn’t detect that fake fruit flavor I recall so vividly in my “wildberry” smoothies from the Cabaret at Marist College. Or, maybe, it was the tequila.

I decided, after trying different flavors and variations all day, to go with the classic frozen margarita at our final stop, Tacos Nuevo Mexicano. Our waitress apologized as she served me a frozen strawberry margarita. Little did she know she was serving THE margarita correspondent! I overlooked the slip up, cause she was so sweet! She even wants to come on the next crawl! But I cannot overlook the still-actually-frozen strawberries I bit into that shocked my molars. Nor can I overlook the super-sweet taste, bringing me back to ordering virgin strawberry daiquiris on the beach when I was a kid. Back then I relished in the sweetness (and relished in ordering something at the bar, whether it had alcohol in it or not—no wonder some people call me a lush now), but by your fourth margarita of the afternoon you’re not looking to mask the tequila taste—you’re just looking for the tequila.

For even more nacho fun

Nacho Crawl Margarita Breakdown by Maraysa Schwartz

Margarita Report: Lime Jungle by Maraysa Schwartz

West Coast Nachos by Maraysa Schwartz

Rachel’s Taqueria by Rachel Anderson