Margarita Madness and the Maymester have officially come to a screeching halt, leaving just one question unanswered: which delicious, sweet and salty cocktail takes the winning spot? Well, tequila lovers of Athens, I have the answer. First, I will share the final scores of each of the finalists and then you too will know where to find the best margarita in Athens!

Taco Stand: While I introduced Chassity, our resident Magnolias margarita expert, to the delicious delights that lie within Taco Stand, she has tequila running through her vein. Chassity rated their margarita as 2.8 overall. Combined with my score of 3, Taco Stand wraps up Margarita Madness with a final score of 2.9!

Magnolias: While Ross’ expertise lies in cheese (and queso, by extension), he too is familiar with the intricate delicate flavors that produce the perfect margarita. Magnolias Margarita garnered an impressive score of 4! When combined with my score of 3.4, Magnolia’s pulls forward with a final score of 3.7!

Tlaloc: Katie, best known for throwing tequila shots that I buy over her shoulder instead of taking them, much prefers her tequila in margaritas. This trip was our first to Tlaloc and she rated their spicy rimmed margarita a 3.4. When combined with my score of 4.7, Tlaloc finishes Margarita Madness with a final score of 4.05

Five Bar: Jordan knows her tequila and willingly sacrificed herself as a judge when others would not step up to the plate. She gave 5 Bar’s pineapple jalapeno margarita a 3.5 which combined with my score of 4.1 for a total score of 3.8.

Well pals, the hunt has come to an end. If you have had one too many margs to figure it out who won (numbers are hard, I’m not judging)…. TLALOC WINS MARGARITA MADNESS!!! Huge thank you to all of the judges, I love each of you dearly for your contribution to the greater good of Athens alcoholics. It has been a grueling few weeks filled with tequila shots, severe dehydration and unbearable hangovers, but I wouldn’t have wanted my last few weeks in Athens to be any other way.

Cheers, Kailey

5 Bar has a sweet and spicy Pineapple Jalapeno margarita that steals the show, in addition to their fun, inviting atmosphere that is unlike any other in Athens.

Taste: This margarita is a fun mix of the best of both worlds – a little spicy, a little sweet. The pineapple plays on your tongue with the jalapeno and overall, has an unique flavor that I absolutely love – 5

Price: During happy hour, these little gems are $4, which is half off menu price. Avoid the regular pricing, stop in during their daily happy hour and you’re golden – 3

Value: The tequila used isn’t exactly something to write home about, which is a little disappointing when you consider that they are typically $8 and are not the strongest thing that I have ever tasted, but will surely get the job done – 3

Atmosphere: If you have never been to 5 bar, just go. Don’t walk, run. The inside is super funky and eclectic – 5

Overall: I wish that I was an unbiased judge, but we are all human, even someone that ingests as much tequila as me – 4.5

5 Bar, you have my heart and will be solely missed when my last days in Athens come to a close. While I wish I could award you a 5/5, you missed the mark ever-so-slightly, but still boast an impressive score of 4.1.

Just like that, we have the SEMI FINALISTS of Margarita Madness! For the next round, my original score with be combined with a margarita connoisseur’s to find out who will be crowned the winner! Stay tuned to see which margarita takes first place!

Fuzzy’s Margaritas are infamous among some circles in Athens, mainly those with subpar IDs that chose to pregame their date nights at Fuzzy’s rather than in their shoebox sized dorm rooms. Nonetheless, their business model revolves around margaritas so I ventured into the depths of a place I long ago swore that I would never return to.

Taste: Fuzzy’s margaritas are known for being available in a multitude of sugar sweet flavors, though there was a noticeable lack of tequila – 2

Price: For the price, this is not a margarita that I would return to, even if it begged me to – 1

Value: I’m going to tell you a secret that I realized while sitting at the brightly lit tables in Fuzzy’s many moons ago… the small margarita fits into the large margarita glass. I was shocked. Disappointed. Betrayed. That is all I have to say on the subject – 1

Atmosphere: I truly enjoy the outside area of Fuzzy’s and love that there is room for an entire hall of a freshman dorm to fit at their monstrous tables – 4

Overall: In all, Fuzzy’s isn’t the biggest bang for your buck, but can be an enjoyable stop on a tour of margaritas – 2.5

This Athens legend didn’t quite live up to the expectations of a margarita connoisseur such as myself, though is far from the worst tasting with a final score of 2.1.

The Georgia Theatre Margarita is the star of the show on this rooftop bare that is loved by all Athens residents alike.

Taste: The margarita is tasty, refreshing, though a little sweet for my taste – 3.5

Price: Unfortunately, this margarita is a bit pricey, though that is more attributed to the general prices at the Rooftop, rather than entirely the margarita to blame – 2

Value: The margarita is a little expensive, though boasts a healthy bit of tequila, making the value much higher than you would anticipate based off of the price alone – 3

Atmosphere: The Rooftop is the perfect place to look out over Athens and reflect over the past four years that you have spent calling this place home.. maybe that is just me. Nonetheless, it is a great spot to grab a drink after class, watch the sun set, or finish up a night out on the town – 4

Overall: What this margarita lacks in a slightly salty rim, it makes up for in a beautiful spot to enjoy the summer weather and sunset – 3.5

The Georgia Theatre margarita is a steep competitor that wraps up with a total overall score 3.2!

Taquria Del Sol and their margaritas have a cult following in Athens. The line are long, daunting, and entirely worth the wait.

Taste: 2 out of 5 – I don’t think it was the best of margaritas and tasted more like water than margaritas – 2

Price – It was rather overpriced, in all honesty and watered down. It was a little too expensive for my budget – 2

Value: The taste was good, in terms of ingredients, but was super watered down. For the price, I would think that it would be much stronger – 3

Atmosphere: The outside seating is awesome and a prime spot to spend some time with your Athens pals – 4

Overall: I don’t think the lines are worth the wait, which is not to say that it isn’t great, just not worth your valuable time – 3.5

Total – Braving the lines is a decision entirely your own, though I can say that the food is tasty. Have a snack, but consider skipping the margarita…. unless your budget is larger than mine. Then, you should always get the marg – 2.9

Tlaloc’s margaritas made a monumental impact on Margarita Madness and will surely be the one to beat! This classic, house margarita’s spicy salt rim packed a punch like any other and distinguished it from your average margarita. If you have been paying attention to the Margarita Madness Bracket, you’ll notice that this is the first head to head match up and resulted in one margarita moving forward to the second round!

Taste: The house margarita was STRONG. I’m not going to lie to you, it might be a little intense for some, but I can promise that there are no complaints here – 4

Price: A margarita pitcher was beyond cheap and full of the good stuff (read: tequila). It was a great sized pitcher and served four of us very effectively – 5

Value: Due to the blatant amount of tequila, the value is incredible. In addition to the value of the liquor content itself, when you purchase a margarita pitcher, Tlaloc brings out a full glass of margarita for each person in addition to the shared alcohol source – 5

Atmosphere: Tlaloc has a welcoming, fun atmosphere that in addition to their tasty food offerings, makes for an incredible go-to for every type of person… as long as you like Mexican food… and if you don’t like Mexican food… you just don’t deserve it and are a lesser human – 5

Overall: Overall, it garnered an impressive score and more impressively, potentially my favorite new margarita that I have tried in the past couple of weeks – 4.5

With unbeatable value and price, Tlaloc’s margarita kicked ass with a final score of 4.7, moving it forward in the bracket and successfully defeating Taqueria La Parilla. Is the perfect margarita out there? Have I found it? You tell me!

Cheers, Kailey

La Parilla margarita… oh, how I love you and your salty-rimmed deliciousness. The stiff Margarita Madness competition continues with a fan favorite, Taqueria La Parilla. More affectionately known as La Pa between those that are aware of the treasures that lie within their multiple Athens locations.

I absolutely love La Pa. I would almost venture to say that it is my favorite Mexican restaurant in the entire world. Then, tragedy struck…. in the form of a horrid margarita.

Taste: Oh La Pa. This Texas margarita tasted like I cried into a glass and added a shot of tequila. Honestly, after tasting this, I think I did cry. I am not only shocked, but disappointed – 0

Price: This margarita is at a slightly higher price point than the house margarita and is therefore made with a higher quality tequila, which bumps up the price to $6 – 2

Value: For $6, the price for a margarita made with 1800 tequila is nothing to complain about, though the glasses are tiny. I would have to recommend getting a pitcher, if you find yourself at this wonderful establishment – 2

Atmosphere: You’re lucky I love you, La Pa. The atmosphere was as wonderful as always and I have no complaints with this category – 5

Overall: The food at La Parilla is incredible and I would recommend it to anyone that would listen to me… or doesn’t have loyalty to another Athens Mexican restaurant. Unfortunately, this margarita was worse than the house margarita that I typically order and tasted subpar in comparison – 2

La Pa, you missed the mark on this one and I hate to say it, but this margarita is officially the lowest scoring margarita in margarita madness at this time. As much as it hurts to say, 2.6 doesn’t look good on you.

Cheers, Kailey

Up next, Taco Stand’s margarita fights to earn a spot in the next round of Margarita Madness! Full disclosure, I love Taco Stand. I love that they have a buffalo chicken taco. I love that their cheese dip has spinach in it. Most importantly, I love seeing them dump immeasurable amount of tequila into pitchers.

There are several Taco Stand locations throughout Athens, but I chose to go margarita tasting at the downtown location after a particularly long day of summer classes. As mentioned previously, the margaritas will be scores in the categories of: taste, price, value, atmosphere, and an overall score.

Taste: As someone that is a regular at Taco Stand, I have to say, I think their margaritas taste refreshing, just strong enough, and yummy enough to drink far more than your fair share. This margarita earned a 4 for taste.

Price: Oh, Taco Stand. How I love you so. Unfortunately, I do not like full priced margaritas in the middle of the day. Their single margaritas are $6, which is honestly just rude. Enjoy your price score of a 1.

Value: Though pricey, these margaritas are not shy about their alcohol content. This factor alone earned Taco Stand’s margaritas a score of 3 in value. I can confirm from personal, non-research related experience that the pitchers truly give you the best bang, and hangover, for your buck.

Atmosphere: The atmosphere of Taco Stand practically ushers you in and shakes your margarita as you walk in the door. Something about this place and margaritas just makes sense – 4.

Overall: I want to score Taco Stand so much higher. I really do. Unfortunately, Taco Stand’s margarita earns an overall score of 3.

The combination of scores leaves Taco Stand’s margarita at a total score of 3, slightly behind our first margarita from Magnolia’s. Taco Stand management, if you happen to read this, please, for the love of broke college students in Athens, consider happy hour pricing. I’m begging you.

Cheers, Kailey

Magnolias’ margarita. Magnolias’ margarita. Magnolias’ margarita. Good luck saying that three times fast! From parents to law students to freshman with a borrowed ID to a plethora Grady graduate students, Magnolias is a fan favorite and has been for the past ten years. To celebrate, Magnolias is having a never ending happy hour all summer long and includes, you guessed it, margaritas!

In full transparency, I will admit that a margarita is not my go-to order at Magnolias, but when I am feeling fun enough to stray from my typical “vodka soda with a lime, please” at a bar downtown, Magnolias is a great choice. Enough chit-chat, let’s get down to the nitty gritty.

Taste: Magnolias’ margarita came in at a 2 for taste. Sad, but true. There was something just a little off and it resulted in a super carbonated, rather bland flavor. The tequila took front and center in terms of taste, which is not a complaint by the way.

Price: Coming in at $5 a pop, the price earned this margarita a 4. This was during happy hour, so I was hoping for just a tad cheaper because #brokegradstudent, but as day turns into night and liquor prices skyrocket, a $5 margarita is a steal.

Value: 5 – Hands-down. If you prefer your margarita proportions be heavy handed on the good stuff (read: tequila), this is the margarita for you.

Atmosphere: 3 – The atmosphere of Magnolias is always fun and relaxed, though I must admit that I missed some authentic Mexican flare while sipping on this beverage. It just didn’t feel as though it belonged. Not a deal breaker, just me being slightly neurotic.

Overall: Magnolias’ margarita earns a solid 3 overall. I really missed having a slightly salty rim, but the color changing Magnolias cup almost made up for it. I don’t think I would make the up-hill hike from my apartment solely for one of their margaritas, but it is an excellent choice for tequila lovers while they are there!

Magnolia’s Margaritas – 3.4 Magnolias’ kicked off Margarita Madness impressively and will be a hard one to beat! Check back tomorrow to see who is next!

Cheers, Kailey

Ladies and gentleman, the moment you have all been waiting for… the Margarita Madness bracket! This bracket puts two well-loved margaritas head to head as the search to find the best margarita in Athens begins. The fine establishments that were notable enough to be chosen for such a high honor were based on recommendations from margarita loving Athens residents in the hopes that their favorite will officially be recognized for their achievement.

You’re probably wondering how on Earth I’ll be able to pick between two delicious, salted glasses of perfection. Never fear, I have created an all-inclusive, completely indisputable scoring system. Each sweet and salty concoction will be rated 1-5 in the categories of taste, value, price, atmosphere and finally, overall evaluation. In order to make the scoring consistent across the board, I will then be averaging the scores for each category for an overall score!

After the first round, an expert guest judge’s scores will be combined with my own to determine which margaritas will move on to the final match-up! I have carefully reviewed the judges’ backgrounds and histories to ensure that they are fully qualified; I am happy to report that they are truly margarita connoisseurs.

The fun starts tomorrow, but for now, if you have any early predictions for finalists or a die-hard favorite, leave it in the comments below!

Cheers, Kailey