The Drink: Margarita

The Location: Oyamel, 401 7th St. NW, (202) 628-1005

The Price: $29 for a pitcher

The Buzz: Why, you ask, am I writing about margaritas again? And why am I drinking margaritas in December? Well, because they’re delicious. And because I went to Oyamel for dinner. You don’t go to Oyamel and not order margaritas. Seriously. Go to Oyamel. Don’t not order margaritas. While they offer a couple varieties of the tequila cocktail, the only one by the pitcher is the classic: Sauza silver tequila, lime juice, triple sec, and a splash of orange juice. No nasty sour mix here. Just citrusy, fresh cocktails. Which is more than I can say for the brown lime garnish, which I wouldn’t let near my drink. When the pitcher was gone, someone at my table snuck an order in for this:

This crazy margarita (I know, it’s a tad blurry. But this was after the pitcher was gone.) is called the Oyamel and supposedly is chef-owner Jose Andres’ personal favorite. It’s Cuervo, lime juice, and Cointreau. And salt air. Whatever the hell that is. All I can say is there was cappuccino-like foam on top of the liquid that tasted salty. The brilliant part is that you get salt in each sip instead of drinking around the rim of your glass, trying to ration out each grain of salt. Now you just have to worry about rationing the sips other people are going to take of your Oyamel.