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Modesto Margarita Marathon By Kate Serpa (and guest-starring Carlos Rodriguez) Due to an unforeseeable unfortunate turn of events, interview plans were changed very-last minute. As a result, Carlos (camera man-extraordinaire) and I were left up to our own devices to find a suitable May bar to bother for a few hours. The end result? The first, and likely last (as I cannot drink that delicious and poisonous tequila): Modesto Margarita Marathon, or the MMM. Say it with me: MMMmmmm…margaritas…. Two people, fighting dinner rush on a Saturday afternoon, venturing out to find the best Modesto bars willing to be photographed, interviewed, and videotaped on a completely spontaneous basis. Not all bars, mind you, were up to par. The three bars that came out as the lead contenders: Tresetti’s, Damian’s, and the Boardroom. So now, ModestoView Reader, I will do the unthinkable. I have thrown my tried-and-true regular bar-review agenda out the window in order to attempt to cover three very excellent and very obliging bars in one solitary article and with a deadline rapidly approaching—and three massive cocktails deep. And now for something completely different: Bar Uno: Tresetti’s World Café Vodka Cucumber Mint Margarita What you need: -Mint -Limes -Cucumber -High Roller Vodka -Simple Syrup What you do: -Slice up them mint leaves, limes, and cucumber. -Put the above into a glass with some simple syrup and muddle everything. -Add a healthy dose of High Roller vodka, a bit of fresh limejuice, and a dash of simple syrup. -Shake it, baby. – Pour the delicious mixture into a salt-rimmed glass. Garnish with alime, and enjoy the hell out of it. I’ve never had anything but good things to say about Tresetti’s; it’s one of my Modesto-favorites as it always has amazing cocktails, excellent bartenders, and consistently non-lame clientele. Ms. Natalie Worden not only whipped up a fantastic original cocktail, she was also a total champ about being the first bartender on our Modesto Margarita Marathon expedition. Her original vodka-based margarita was not only made with local liquor, but was also a refreshing heat-beater. Be sure to stop in to see Tresetti’s renovated interior. 927 11th St., Modesto, CA 572.2990 Bar Dos: Damian’s Damian’s Cadillac Margarita What you need: -Fresh limejuice -Jose Cuervo Tradicional -Simple Syrup -Grand Marnier What you do: -Fill the biggest glass you have in the house with ice. -Squeeze fresh limejuice over the ice. -Add in the Jose and a bit of Simple Syrup. -Float with Grand Mariner. -Stick a straw on that sucker and a lime wedge. -Drink the entire thing in one go. No cheating! Many a time I have driven past Damian’s, but since I am zero fun and am impartial to trying new places, had never ventured in. Thus, I was pleasantly surprised with the festive décor, the delicious margarita, and bartender Alejandra Castillo who was as lovely as she was accommodating. Damian’s Cadillac Margarita is the Mexican restaurant’s most popular, and it’s easy to see why. Even though it is NOT in my best interest to be imbibing in the tequila, I decided against my better judgment, figuring it was well worth such a tasty drink. 2705 W. Orangeburg Ave., Modesto, CA 526.3800 Bar Tres: The Boardroom What you need: -Avion Anejo (the tequila from Entourage) -Cointrieau -Grand Marnier -Fresh limes for squeezin’ -A bit of margarita mix What you do: -Build the Avion, limejuice, Cointreau, and the mix in a shaker. -Shhhhake it. -Pour in salt-rimmed, ice-filled glass. -Float of Grand Mariner. Garnish with lime wedge. -It might be hard, but try to pace yourself. They’re delicious, but they start to go to your head after about nine of these. Not that I would know…geeze. The Boardroom was another new bar-stop for me, and what a lovely closure they were to the MMM tour. The charismatic Sean Devlin rose above-and-beyond the occasion with his top-shelf Cadillac, thus delivering me the last bit of delicious tequila I could consume before hitting the ‘danger zone.’ The Boardroom’s interior is sleek, the bartenders are all attractive AND nice (they must be up to something), and the cocktails are ideal. It was agood thing I had a one-drink-per-bar limit in place, else I might still be there now. 1528 J St., Modesto, CA 409.8665
