Margarita at Los Compadres Mexican Restaurant

Before a night of taking in a show at The Potentialist, local actor Ryan Kelly and I decided to go to Los Compadres for dinner.  It's proximity to the Workshop was a plus, but it also had a great deal on margaritas.

We ended up ordering an entire pitcher, and it was worth every penny.  In the photo it does look a little thin, like it is more water than booze, but it actually was the perfect combination.  It was very comparable to the 99 cent margarita at Pancho and Willie's, and I would go again in a heartbeat.  The food was great, the atmosphere was good even though we were sat in the bad table by the kitchen/bathroom.  I like that it is a local place, and we have enough of the culture here in Reno to warrant it being considered for the official state drink.  Of course, I'm going to keep going out there and trying more things to compare!

Los Compadres
(775) 786-9966
1490 E 4th St, Reno, NV 89512
Monday-Thursday 11AM-9PM
Friday-Saturday 11AM-10PM
Sundays CLOSED 

Margarita at Pancho and Willie's @WVSparksCasino

I hadn't been to Pancho and Willie's since I was about 15 years old, so it was fun to go back and see that literally nothing inside the restaurant has changed.  It was oddly comforting, considering that the Peppermill coffee shop has been remodeled and no longer really looks like itself.

The chips still maintain their structural integrity, and their salsa is still pretty darn good.  They also have 99 cent margaritas, something that I wasn't able to partake in before.

When I was younger, margaritas were my favorite.  I'm still down with tequila, but since I've been relegated to a low-carb diet it has fallen out of favor with me.  I'd like to think my tastes have evolved, but really I think it just comes with age.

It is an excellent margarita for the price.  It's more fruity tasting than I was expecting, which is a good thing.  It's got a great salt rim, and the frozen version is great.  The only thing that I wasn't expecting was that the lime inside was frozen.  I would have liked to squeeze it for a little more flavor, but that was really the only complaint that I had while drinking it.

Afterwards I felt really sluggish, so I'm guessing there is way more sugar in it than you could really taste.  I'm not a fan of sugar crashes, so I don't think I'll be partaking of it again anytime soon.

Pancho & Willies at Western Village
775-331-1069
815 Nichols Blvd, Sparks, NV 89434
Open 24 Hours

The Rules

Rules were meant to be broken of course, but it is good to have some ongoing guidelines to make sure I'm sticking to some sort of protocol.

According to Wikipedia, "Official" State Beverages are not always alcoholic.  In fact, around 20 of them state that their official state drink is milk.  Alabama is the only one that just goes for the gusto and goes with booze.  So with that, the number one rule is:








1. The State Drink Does Not Have to be Alcoholic 

Although I'm sure not ruling it out.  I think we are a cool enough state to graduate from just milk.

While going through my research I found this article about state related drinks to check out. Nevada had a "Desert Scrub" with repasado tequila, grapefruit juice, and Italian sparklingly white wine.  I really like how the name of the bar is called Sage, even if it is located in Las Vegas.  It's important to me, and I think ALL Nevadians, that the state drink be as "local" as possible.  That being said, the second rule is:

2. The State Drink Should Have at Least One Local Ingredient, or Have Local Origins.

When I was making these rules, I asked the Reno Foodies Facebook Group what qualifications they would put to the Official State Drink. James, a member of the group, stated that it should be "At least 80 proof AND is less than $13.99 a 1.75L."  He also said it should be PBR.  I strongly disagree, but he had a point about the price.

This was one thing that always got me in Vegas.  You can't get a cocktail for less than $12.00, and none of them are great.  Our drink should not only be tasty, but it should not cost you more than a meal of All-You-Can-Eat Sushi.  That means the third rule is:

3. The State Drink Must Be Affordable

I'm going to intentionally leave that vague, because sometimes the price is worth it if it is a great drink.  However, with my current pay grade it's not likely I'll try that Golden Opulence Sundae or The Five Star anytime soon.  If you'd like to buy me a drink, click on the donate button in the sidebar.

This is all I have so far!  I'll update this as I get more suggestions from everyone.  Feel free to leave a comment or email me at drinknevada@gmail.com if you have an idea!