So today marks a national holiday and no, I’m not talking about Valentines Day, that was over a week ago. Come on, keep guessing. Christmas? Nope. Why would you think that? Did you guess the 4th of July? Alright, nevermind, I’m done prolonging this. Today is National Margarita Day.
Yes National Margarita Day, a day where all you margarita lovers across the country can celebrate the great fruity and sometimes salty taste of a tequila-filled margarita. But for me personally, I’m not sure if I will be celebrating this American holiday.
I’ve never been a big drinker, it has just never been an activity that interested me. I haven’t tried a variety of different drinks, just a beer here and there. Yet since I like trying new things and I’ve recently turned 21 years old, I decided the other day that I should try a margarita for the first time and write about it.
First things first, where did I decided to have my first margarita? Well I went with the most classy, upscale, swanky, establishment within walking distance: the always charming Applebee’s. As a customer, Applebee’s has only let me down 6/10 times in the past, so you can tell I had high hopes for this experience.
One mistake I realized I had made before I entered the restaurant was that I had not eaten a single thing all day and I was about to have a margarita. I looked at the food menu and after getting some advice from the waitress I got the all-you-can-eat fish and chips. I planned on making sure I ate most of my first round of fish and chips before attempting the margarita. A great strategy, I know.
Finally I looked at the drink menu. After scanning it over a couple times, I realized that they had a couple options for margaritas. At the time, I did not know that the traditional flavor for a margarita was lime. I went with a strawberry lemonade margarita and asked that it be brought with my dinner. In about 15 minutes, it would be margarita time.
The fish made it to the table first and I started to eat. Then the margarita arrived, and just by the looks of it, I became less excited. The first thing I was disappointed about was that it wasn’t in a margarita glass, nor did it have salt around the rim. My internal voice made a very disappointed “awwwww…” sound. It was in a tall glass, with a lime on the rim.
My first Margarita in all its glory.
I took my first sip and was quickly taken back. “What is this taste?” I said to myself. “It’s so…it’s so…ehhhhhhhh.” As I continued to sip the margarita throughout the meal, it didn’t get much better. At one point I squeezed the lime to get the lime juice into the beverage thinking it would make the drink better but, it didn’t do a thing. The fish and chips did not help because after awhile, the fish was just getting gross and the only redeemable part of the meal was the chips (fries).
I was not enjoying the drink, but I also did not want to waste my money, so I just kept on drinking. Oddly enough, the last two sips of the beverage- like, literally the last two sips-were really good and it probably helped that I was a little *tipsy* from the beverage. I’m a classic lightweight.
I paid the bill and left the restaurant. As I walked home I reflected on my first margarita and overall, I’d say it was okay and it could’ve been worse. My friend also pointed out: “why did you get your first margarita at Applebee’s?” (I’m sure you’re all thinking this, too).
Well, next time I have a margarita, I will go to another establishment, but who knows when that next time will be? Next year, next month, tomorrow or, maybe I will celebrate National Margarita Day the traditional way. I hope you all have a great day celebrating this national holiday.