America's Best Margarita Bars

The bright and airy tequila lounge dedicates a full portion of the cocktail menu to margaritas organized by type of tequila: unaged blanco, lightly oaked reposado, oak-aged añejo and special edition reserva. All have a base of fresh-squeezed Mexican lime juice and agave nectar. tressf.com

One of New York City’s best mixologists, Philip Ward opened this East Village tequila and mezcal bar in 2009 with stellar cocktails and Mexican food like tamales with charred poblanos. One of the off-menu drink specialties is a superb classic margarita with blanco tequila, Cointreau and lime juice. mayahuelny.com

Surrounded by the Rocky Mountains, this Aspen institution has more than 100 tequilas and mezcals, makes terrific margaritas and hosts legendary Saturday night Latin-dance parties. jimmysaspen.com

Tim Love’s Western-style bistro is known for its spicy take on a margarita: Case Noble tequila muddled with jalapeño and cucumber, plus Cointreau and fresh lime juice. The refreshing cucumber perfectly contrasts the pepper’s heat in every sip. lonesomedovebistro.com

Guests at John Rivera Sedlar’s modern Latin restaurant can order the Rivera margarita mixed with house-made curaçao and their choice of 20 blanco tequilas. The bar also makes a Tommy’s margarita—inspired by Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco—which eliminates the curaçao for a tarter cocktail. riverarestaurant.com

Named for an agave farmer and his dog (whom the owners met while touring Mexico), this late-night tequila bar stocks the highest-end ingredients and uses them in a $69 smokey-tart Decadent Daisy with Don Julio 1942 añejo tequila, Grand Marnier 100th Anniversary, Del Maguey Santo Domingo Albarradas mezcal and fresh-squeezed tangerine and lime juices. viktorandspoils.com

Star chef Ken Oringer’s superaffordable Mexican taqueria just outside Fenway Park offers tacos filled with pollo pibil (sour-orange-rubbed chicken). The bar mixes a house sour mix for margaritas that can be made with any tequila on its long list. laverdadtaqueria.com

Open since 1965, this dive on the outskirts of San Francisco warrants its widespread reputation for pitchers of fantastic fresh-made margaritas. Co-owner Julio Bermejo uses pure agave tequila, hand-squeezed lime juice and no triple sec. He prefers agave nectar, a honey-like sweetener from the same plant as tequila. tommystequila.com

A former plumbing-supply store turned refined Mexican restaurant, Hugo’s stocks a variety of tequilas and makes some of the best margaritas in town. Shaken tableside, the cocktails are simple and balanced: unaged blanco tequila, lime juice and Cointreau. hugosrestaurant.net

When Blackbird’s Paul Kahan (an F&W Best New Chef 1999) and Avec sous-chef Justin Large took over a beat-up bar in Wicker Park, they insisted it would be little more than a dive serving tacos. That was an understatement. Highlights of the supercool “honky tonk” taqueria include excellent pork-belly tacos and exceptional cocktails. The lightly smoky Big Star margarita made with Herradura Plata, San Luis mezcal, lime juice and orange curacao is best sipped on the patio. bigstarchicago.com