FEB 27, 2025 | FEATURES | By Anya Potsiadlo (SPC Editor)
Asuncion, Paraguay, Santiago, Chile and Stanley Falkland Islands. They say it’s five-o-clock somewhere, yet these cities are among the only six world capitals for which this statement is true when it is 1 p.m. in Colorado Springs, Colo. Nonetheless, it was around this time that my friends and I opted to begin our fateful mission: a tour of the Big Three, Illegal Pete’s, Dos Dos and Jose Muldoons.
The occasion was National Margarita Day. Even though this criminally under-celebrated national holiday occurs annually, we were hell-bent on not taking for granted the fact that this particular Feb. 22 fell on a warm and sunny Saturday — perfection!
Illegal Pete’s has some pretty good happy hour deals. Unfortunately, we were two hours too early. To make the most accurate judgment of each of the three margaritas, I opted to order the house marg at each location. The Illegal Pete’s house marg includes Sauza Silver Tequila, Triple Sec and House Marg Mix. I asked for salt and tajin around the rim.
“[The mix] has been the same since Pete’s opened. It’s only three ingredients in it. It’s water, sugar, lime juice, orange juice,” said Becca, the general manager who was behind the bar and didn’t give her last name. Illegal Pete’s opened in 1995, and Becca herself has been working there for five and a half years, moving to the Colorado Springs location after it opened last year from her previous post in Denver.
At $7.50, the margarita was a steal. Illegal Pete’s also has a deal where if you go in with a ticket to an event on the same day, you get a free marg with your meal — and it works with CC hockey tickets.
“People know Pete’s margaritas for being strong and cheap, so what more could you want out of a margarita?” said Becca.
Based on the flavor of the drink alone, I had no doubts about its strength. When I asked if she had any advice for those celebrating National Margarita Day, Becca didn’t hesitate: “Only have one margarita at Illegal Petes.”
This was the perfect advice for us Margarita celebrators, who were already closing out our tabs to keep the show going and head to our next stop: Dos Dos. Accompanying us were two eager-to-be-used BOGO margarita cards that have been residing in the back of my phone wallet for an unknown amount of time.
It was Family and Parents Weekend, and Dos Dos was packed. My mom makes a habit of eating here every time she comes to the Springs, and it appears she might not be the only CC parent that has a soft spot for Dos Dos. Resultantly, we sat on a jumble of benches outside, which only enhanced the great vibes. Very much in line with Dos Dos’ aesthetic, the margarita came in a mason jar rimmed with salt crystals and garnished with a dried orange slice. The menu says that this $9.50 house marg consists of Conciere Tequila and house sour mix. It was delicious and though it tasted like there was definitely some agave involved, I appreciated how the lemony sour flavor was what pulled the most weight in canceling out the taste of alcohol. My friends and I all had high praise for the drink, but the people sitting next to us were slightly more critical.
Ava and Andrew, who were unaware of it being National Margarita Day and instead were there to spend some time in the sun, claimed that the margarita was “kind of middle of the road” and both rated it a five out of 10, each citing a different reason for their distaste. Ava thought it was too sour, yet Andrew thought it was too sweet. They both named spots in Mexico at which they had tried their favorite margaritas and recommended a spot that they think best compares — Monse’s Pupuseria.
“It’s objectively the best margarita in the city,” Andrew said.
Good moods in full swing, we generously trusted his credentials and within minutes, Monse’s Pupusaria saw a 16-person reservation roll in for later that evening. All of our friends’ parents who were visiting were now unknowingly slated to join us in our last leg of the tour.
But it was too early to start looking forward to dinner because our next stop was waiting eagerly for us just down the street. I only knew that it was National Margarita Day because of a sign I’d seen outside Jose Muldoon’s last week, so we were excited to go into a restaurant that was celebrating along with us.
“This year we’re doing more than we usually do, two dollars off all of our signature margaritas,” Jen, the bartender, told us.
With happy hour and this deal combined, the regular margarita was $3. Still, my friends and I instead decided to split a Volcano Margarita: the Jose Muldoon’s classic 32oz drink that is made with Cuervo La Reserva Plantino and Cointreau — perfect for sharing.
The recipe didn’t disappoint, and I am starting to think that it’s no mere coincidence that Jose Muldoon’s address on Tejon Street is 222, identical to the date of National Margarita Day, 2/22.
“They taste better and they’re a lot cheaper than everything downtown. And they’re bigger,” said Jen.
Jose Muldoon’s was also successful in identifying the second key to our hearts — food — and they brought us a couple of bowls of some beautifully crispy chips and salsa.
“We’re a staple downtown,” said Jen. “We just celebrated our 50-year anniversary, so we’re doing something right.”
It’s clear to see why this is such a popular spot for a fun weekend dinner off campus. Jen said that she sees CC students all the time and has recently figured out that asking for Gold Cards generally yields more accurate information about someone’s real age.
“You might get away with [using a fake] with the servers, but if you sit at the bar you’re cooked,” she said.
Extremely satisfied with our experience at the Big 3, we walked back to campus with a sense of gratitude for the vast supply of incredible margaritas so close to campus.
Later that night it was time for the surprise fourth stop on the margarita tour, Monse’s Pupuseria, an El Salvadorian restaurant in Old Colorado City about two miles west of Campus. I once again ordered the house marg, which came in a proper margarita glass and was generously rimmed with salt. The tequila flavor was certainly more profound in this drink, compared to the previous three which leaned sweet, so it was perfect to sip along with my meal.
I was truly inspired by the variety of margaritas I had tasted during my four-stop tour of the Springs. So inspired that I think it is only fair to call it a four-way tie. I highly recommend that you indulge in the joy of a Saturday afternoon margarita, but most importantly, make sure to consume responsibly and not drink and drive — downtown is literally six blocks away.