The Perfect Margarita - Park Street Cantina, Columbus, OH

First of all, let me just say that the Park Street Cantina in downtown Columbus, OH was a true margarita adventure!  From Happy Hour specials, to a full menu of different flavors to the Tequila Tasting room, this was a great place to hang out if you truly appreciate good margaritas.

So for us, it started with Happy Hour.  We marched in the door promptly at 4pm and parked at the bar ready to take advantage of the $5.00 margarita pitcher specials.  For that price, we were fully expecting a watered down drink that was on par with the corner lemonade stand run by the kids in the neighborhood.  On the contrary, and much to our delight, we found the Happy Hour margaritas to be top notch, as far as Happy Hour drinks go.  Certainly not anywhere close to a 4 or 5 limer drink in the grand scheme of things, but for a Happy Hour beverage it was definitely top flight.  And their full selection - 12 flavors - was available at the special price.

We decided that the fitting thing to do was to sample all 12 flavors.  Soooo, that meant 12 pitchers of margaritas.  To be honest, they weren't that big, so it really wasn't as big a feat as it might seem, but what an experience that was.  Some of the flavors like the Sangarita and the Prickly Pear were awesome, whereas the Raspberry just didn't get the job done.  But in the interest of science (and reviews) we sacrificed ourselves and put down every one of them.

Along the way, we started to generate some interest from the staff and the other patrons.  After all, its not everyday that someone goes through the entire menu of margarita flavors.  In fact, according to Willis our bartender we were the first people he knew of to do it.  He also pointed out that the strawberry-banana margarita was not on the initial list of 12, so we actually did 13 pitchers when it was all said and done.

Then came the challenge.  I asked for their best margarita, as everyone knows Happy Hour drinks are typically the cheapest versions available.  We consumed and enjoyed them, but now it was time to see if Park Street Cantina had something "real" to offer.  

Willis accepted the challenge and went to work.  The end result was their "Perfect Margarita" which was a great drink.  Not quite a 5 limer, but very good indeed.  But we weren't finished yet!

One of the unique things about Park Street Cantina is their Tequila Tasting Room, which is fully stocked with the best brands around.  Plus its managed by a Tequila Expert - Wayne Walters.  Trust me, the guy knows everything there is to know about Tequila!  So, I was led from the front bar area back to the Tequila Room and introduced to Wayne.

I could write a book about the experience, but will keep it short.  Basically, I selected three different Tequilas to sample and Wayne poured a shot of each.  These were meant to be tasted not thrown back.  Also included was tomato juice to "cleanse the palette" between tastings.  I went with Cabo Wabo Uno (can't find that locally) and Don Julio 1942, then challenged Wayne to pick the third one for me.  It was an excellent, excellent, experience!

While this was going on, the owner Chris came in and introduced himself.  After spending a few minutes in conversation with us, he turned to Wayne and told him to make us "his" (Wayne's) version of The Perfect Margarita.  WOW - what a drink!  We would give it a 6 limer, but 5 is the top of our scale.  

So that pretty much sums up our visit to Park Street Cantina.  We now have a new front runner in our rankings.  If you ever get to Columbus, drop in on Park Street Cantina (arena district) and take advantage of Wayne, plus say hello to Chris.

Wayne's Perfect Margarita - the best of the best so far...