For Margarita Wars 2017, click here!

On Friday, July 29th, we celebrated everyone’s favorite guilty pleasure—the margarita—at Creative Loafing’s Margarita Wars 2016!

Attendees took advantage of a unique opportunity to sample Hornitos Tequila margaritas created by more than 15 of the Tampa Bay area’s best mixologists and tried their hand at tipsy judging as THEY helped award ‘Tampa Bay’s Best Margarita’ at Margarita Wars!

Not to mention, attendees enjoyed Mexican-inspired bites from local restaurants and a photo booth by Premier Photo Booths of Tampa! The winning margarita, Dat’z “Kelly Kapowski,” will be featured at Tampa Bay Rowdies Present Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay Awards Party at The Mahaffey Theater in September!

We teamed up with Lyft to get attendees to and from Margarita Wars safely! First-time Lyft users got their first ride free up to $20 by downloading the app, creating an account, and entering the code CLTAMPA in the ‘Payment’ section at checkout.

Creative Loafing’s Margarita Wars
Fri., July 29th
VIP: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. | GA: 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
TPepin’s Hospitality Centre
4121 N. 50th St. in Tampa

Featuring margaritas by:

Kyle Nalls

“Margie’s Revenge”

Mandarin juice, lime, housemade falernum (ginger, limes, almond),
sun dried tomatoes, Mezcal, & bitters

Levick Coble

“Home Sweet Home”

Cream pineapple, triple sec, & pineapple shavings

Tiffany Rhoads

“Smash Kiss Rita”

Fresh lime, Cointreau, Chambord, & black cherry-infused simple syrup

Morgan Zuch

“Kelly Kapowski”

Edible flowers, prickly pear, & Tidal Boar Ginger Beer

Kat McKenna

“Toasted Kamehameha”

Pineapple & toasted coconut – get transported straight to the islands of Hawaii

Tricia Wilsion

“Jerked Mango Margarita”

Agave, fresh lime, jerked mango, & black sea salt

Jake Hiller

“Pina en Fuego”

Pineapple-infused with Spanish citrus mix, & a pineapple peppered rim

Ryan Fitzgerald

“Chupacabra”

Thai chili, watermelon, candied pineapple, avocado, & key lime

Erin Schnitzler

“Coco for Coconut”

Coconut milk, orange Curaçao, & creme de coco

RJ Hunt

“Sandia Silvestre”

Shaved watermelon cucumber ice, blueberry caviar, & citrus foam – an adult snow cone

Ricardo Lopez

“Pasion Caliente”

Cointreau, passion fruit, blend of three pepper sauce, fresh lime, & chipotle sugar rim

Mychal Washington

“Caliente Mango Margarita”

Mango, fresh lime juice, & jalapeño simple syrup

Ciara Kelley

“LBC Sexi Mexi”

Cucumber, lime, cilantro, habanero, & agave

Jessie Babbitt

“The FloRita”

Cream of coconut, lime, agave, & Grand Marnier

Scooby Olivier

“Easy Does It”

Tropical New Orleans-style margarita with passion fruit creole shrub,
Red Bull Tropical, & basil agave

Evan B. Campbell

“Desert Island”

Hibiscus, lime, prickly pear liqueur, & mango

Kyle Miller

“Spicy & Horny Margarita”

Jalapeño-infused with fresh lime juice, Patrón Citrónge Orange, Grand Marnier, & agave nectar

Karol Ortiz

“Corazon Sangrante”

Soursop, hibiscus, lime, pomegranate seeds

Emily Schiller

“Watermelon Margarita”

Fresh lime juice, watermelon, homemade raw sugar, jalapeño, elder flower, simple syrup


Featuring Mexican-inspired bites by:

Sriracha Cheddar Popcorn

Greek Chips & Salsa

Customizable Mini Tacos

Stuffed Poblano Rellenos

Freshmade Guacamole & Chips

General Admission:
$50 Adv. (July 1st – July 28th) | $60 Door (July 29th)
Included margarita samples from each restaurant/bar, Mexican-inspired bites, & voting in the ‘Tampa Bay’s Best Margarita’ contest.

VIP:
$75 VIP (July 1st – July 28th) | $85 Door (July 29th)
Included early entry for an extra hour of sampling without the crowds from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., margarita samples from each restaurant/bar, Mexican-inspired bites, two beers, one commemorative swag item, & voting in the ‘Tampa Bay’s Best Margarita’ contest.

Click here for tickets!

Special thanks to our sponsors and partners Hornitos Tequila, DACCO, Corona, Besito Mexican, District Tavern, and Lyft, as well as our featured non-profit, Current Initiatives!

Attendees RSVPed and invite their friends here!

#CLMargaritaWars

Check out last year’s event below!
Thank you to Tampa Bay video studio, Roundhouse Creative, for capturing all the fun!

 

21+ only. Programming subject to change. Event takes place rain or shine. No refunds are available.

This article appears in May 26 – Jun 2, 2016.