Despite there being no traditional porch to sit on here, this West End Tex-Mex cantina has the best margaritas in town. Owner Claire Calvin invited her friends and neighbors to the restaurant before its grand opening in order to decide the signature drink. The combination of fresh-squeezed lime juice, cilantro leaves, and agave won over the taste testers and is still winning over patrons today. Margaritas kits are available to-go and most definitely can be prepared without alcohol so everyone can get in on the fun.

Get a taste of Ethiopia and the delightfully refreshing and sophisticated mitmita margarita at Goorsha in Durham. Among the spicy and piquant flavors of the cuisine at this Brightleaf Square outlet, mitmita is a fragrant spice blend of dried chili peppers, Ethiopian cardamom, and varying amounts of other warm spices and coarse salt. Honoring tradition and flavor with a twist on this classic cocktail, tequila and citrus juices stand tall next to dishes like doro wat and awaze tibs.

One of North Carolina’s first mezcal bars shows off one of its best assets with the Smokestack Lightning mezcal margarita. It’s spicy, smoky enough to give a nod to the capital city’s tobacco and agricultural roots, and finished with a worm-salt rim. For tequila fans, head downstairs to sister restaurant, Centro, to experience additional margaritas with the same amount of flair and local appeal.

One of the most talked about margaritas in the Upstate is Willy Taco’s coconut lime margarita, a favorite at the flagship Feed & Seed location in Midtown. Bartenders shake Lunazul tequila blanco with coconut cream, fresh lime juice, and agave syrup. Poured over ice, it’s garnished with a shaggy toasted coconut rim. In addition to the original location in Spartanburg, Willy Taco is also in Easley and Simpsonville. Both reside in second-generation spaces, a tenant of the group’s sustainable praxes.

This flip-flop-friendly Topsail Beach restaurant changes menu features like the changing tides, but the agave elote margarita is one of the more unique drink offerings. Milagro silver tequila and fresh lime juice get sweetened with house syrup made from corn tortillas and fresh corn juice. Garnished with torched corn on a cob, it’s a little “corny” but should be tried at least once.

Fresh-Mex restaurant Cantina 76 strips the Cantina margarita down to essentials: tequila, simple syrup, and freshly squeezed citrus. It’s clean and super easy to drink more than one. The spicy version simply adds muddled jalapeno. Every margarita on the menu is offered with a customized choice of tequila. Beyond its two Columbia locations, Cantina 76 is in downtown Greenville, Kiawah, and Mount Pleasant under the same ownership — four friends who met in college.

The margarita with the most press in Charleston may be the beet margarita at Basic Kitchen. The same team behind popular spots Post House Inn and Sullivan’s Fish Camp created the drink. Bartenders shake juiced beets with lime juice, orange juice, some agave, and Altos tequila for a bright pink sip that’s farm fresh. The ethos of Basic Kitchen, to keep it simple, extends to the cocktails where each ingredient is selected to stand on its own merits, equating to drinks that feel balanced in the glass.

Holy Tequila boasts a list of 60+ tequilas and 10 different margaritas built by the glass or by the pitcher. The deconstructed margarita may not sound creative, but it is one of the most interesting drinks on the menu. The bar mixes El Humoso blanco with fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, and pineapple juice, served with a Tajin rim. Holy Tequila is part of the Serg Group Restaurants in Hilton Head known for fresh seafood, spunky staff, and great-looking interiors.