'Every day is National Margarita Day for us,' some suburban restaurants say

Tuesday, Feb. 22, is National Margarita Day, a celebration of the classic cocktail made with tequila, lime juice and orange liqueur and often served with salt around the rim. If you're looking to get in on the party, there are plenty of local bars and restaurants offering excellent spins on the classic formula.

“One of the recipes for success is freshness,” said Victor Tenorio, beverage director of Fat Rosie's Taco & Tequila Bar, which has locations in Schaumburg, Naperville, Lincolnshire and Frankfort. “We use fresh-squeezed lime juice, 100% blue agave tequila and fresh fruit. We take a lot of pride in what we do. I think every day is National Margarita Day for us.”

The restaurant offers the drink on the rocks, but also turns the same recipe into a frozen margarita. They also offer numerous spins on the cocktail such as the Purple Basil, which incorporates muddled blueberries and fresh basil, and the Pepino, which features smashed cucumber and Aperol and is rimmed with the chili-lime seasoning Tajin.

“We want a lot of choices for everybody,” Tenorio said.

Aubrey Mansene, director of beverage for Fox Restaurant Concepts, which oversees Blanco Cocina + Cantina in Oak Brook, said that the balanced formula of a margarita makes it easy to customize.

“You take citrus, which is sour, and from there make it balanced, which we're always looking for in a perfectly made cocktail,” Mansene said. “You can add sweet, but it doesn't have to be simple syrup or agave. It can be strawberry or pineapple or mango. On the spicy side, if you're going to kick it up a notch with a habanero or some sort of spicy ingredient, you want to balance that out by introducing a little bit more honey syrup or agave or fruit.”

Bartenders also experiment with the spirit, swapping the traditional blanco tequila for a reposado, which has been aged in oak barrels for between two months and a year to give the liquor a richer flavor. Also growing in popularity is mezcal, a smokier agave spirit.

“Mezcal is what we consider the mother of agave spirits,” Mansene said. “It's been around forever. Between floats and people subbing that in for margaritas and making classic cocktails with mezcal like negronis and old fashioneds, that spirit is on the way up.”

You can try mezcal blended in a pineapple margarita this month at Fat Rosie's. Next month the special will change to be a bright green kiwi margarita in honor of St. Patrick's Day.

“Mezcal is huge right now,” Tenorio said. “We're trying to get people into it. It's smoky and delicious.”

Winter might seem like an unusual time to be celebrate a Mexican drink often associated with beach or summer drinking, but Mansene said both regular and frozen margaritas are popular year-round.

“When a guest walks in our door, we try to take them out of wherever they're coming from, whether it be the office or the house, and we treat that experience like it's a special occasion,” he said. “Even at 35 degrees, I would love for somebody to come in and order a frozen margarita that transports you to a place that might be warmer in temperature.”

• Blanco Cocina + Cantina is at 2022 Spring Road, Oak Brook, (630) 320-2034, blancotacostequila.com/locations/blanco-tacos-tequila-oak-brook-il/.

• Fat Rosie's Taco & Tequila Bar is at 940 Milwaukee Ave., Lincolnshire, (224) 377-2395; 47 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville, (630) 328-0060; 870 N. Meacham, Schaumburg, (847) 807-2850; and 28 Kansas St., Frankfort, (815) 534-1640; fatrosies.com/.

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Looking for a place to celebrate National Margarita Day? Here are some other local spots offering novel spins on the drink.

Chili's Grill & Bar

Locations in Algonquin, Arlington Heights, Aurora, Batavia, Bloomingdale, Bolingbrook, Crystal Lake, Downers Grove, Gurnee, Hoffman Estates, McHenry, Naperville, Plainfield, Romeoville, Rosemont, Round Lake Beach, South Elgin, St. Charles, Streamwood, Vernon Hills, Waukegan, Wheaton and more; chilis.com/.

To honor National Margarita Day, house margaritas are $3, Presidente margaritas are $6, and premium margaritas (Tropical Sunrise, Cuervo Blue, El Niño) are $7 on Tuesday. Even better, the Grand Romance 'Rita is $5 all month.

Javier's Sabor Mexicano

8 W. Miner St., Arlington Heights, (847) 255-7075, javiers.biz/

The restaurant specializes in frozen margaritas, which you can get blended with red sangria or a wide variety of other flavors including guava, peach and papaya. If you want to learn more about tequila, order a flight of blanco, reposado or anejo.

Martini Room

161 E. Chicago St., Elgin, (847) 741-0349, martiniroomelgin.com/

Along with a massive menu of its namesake cocktail, Martini Room offers six types of margaritas you can customize with your choice of tequila or mezcal. Options include the Smoky Cocopinarita made with pineapple juice, coconut puree and Tabasco sauce and the Cabana Boy featuring yuzu puree and rhubarb bitters and garnished with rosemary.

Miller's Ale House

778 N. Route 59, Aurora, (630) 332-8574; 455 E. Butterfield Road, Lombard, (630) 241-3371; and 1300 N. Meacham Road, Schaumburg, (847) 598-1090; millersalehouse.com/.

On National Margarita Day, Miller's is offering half-price house, strawberry and watermelon margaritas.

On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina

1512 S. Randall Road, Algonquin, (847) 960-3915; 1915 Glacier Park Ave., Naperville, (331) 472-8740; 535 N. Lakeview Parkway, Vernon Hills, (224) 433-5450; ontheborder.com/.

On Tuesday, Feb. 22, the house margarita is on special for $5. Plus, add on a 40-cent Grand Marnier Meltdown with any margarita to celebrate On The Border's 40th birthday. New to the menu are the Managonada (mango margarita with chamoy and spicy Tajin) and the SkyRita (frozen house margarita topped with a Blue Moon Light Sky beer).

Salsa 17

17 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights, (847) 590-1122, salsa17grill.com/

There's something for every taste preference on Salsa 17's menu of specialty margaritas, which includes La Rosita made with jalapeno-infused tequila, mezcal and raspberry liqueur, and La Pasion, which features passion fruit puree, pineapple juice and a splash of Midori. For $20, you can take home a half gallon of their margarita mix, which features housemade simple syrup and fresh-squeezed lime and orange juices. They'll also sell you a bottle of tequila to make your at-home mixology easier.

Tokio Pub

1900 E. Higgins Road, Schaumburg, (847) 278-5181, tokiopub.com/

It's Taco Tuesday on Feb. 22, when Tokio Pub will be offering three special tacos and $5 classic passion fruit and yuzu margaritas, which normally run $12 each.