Courtesy of Big Bear Today
It was easy to forgive Shirley Gideon for being a little nervous. She was, after all, following in the footsteps of the master.
"Take a picture?" she said, repeating the question. "Don't photograph mine. Dave's looks better."
Yeah, well Dave Rosborough wasn't at South West Station that evening, creating his magnificent margaritas. Shirley was doing the bartending, and had been quite adept at the Margarita making, spinning up a couple of tasty rounds for this article. Now it was time to document these beauties, shall we say, with some photographic evidence.
"Dave's are better?" I asked, kind of egging on her competitive edge. "I didn't say they tasted better," Shirley quickly replied, taking the bait. "I said they look better. He uses more...Foof."
Now there's a word for you. She meant that Dave, the Margarita Maestro, uses a little more fruity garnish, whip cream, frills and the like. No problem. She squirted a small mountain of whip cream on the strawberry-banana beauties we had requested, applied a little garnish, and presto-the pictures came off without a hitch.
"The perfect dessert Margarita," co-taster John Daskarn said, after a swig of the frosty delight passed through his lips. He was right-the the drink was very rich, screaming with banana taste. Topped with the whip cream and a cherry, it looked a lot like a strawberry sundae right out of an ice cream shop, and John finished his with a slurp, just like a chocolate malt.
Margaritas, whether they're made by Dave or Shirley, are essentially an art form at South West Station, and can be ordered in all the colors of the rainbow. Blue ones, red ones, green ones, they're all here, in selections and taste that rank as Big Bear's best.
The South-of-the-Border drinks are made from homemade mixes prepared by Rosborough, and begin with the traditional base of tequila and triple sec. From there, though, all bets are off-, order a peach Margarita and you'll enjoy fresh pureed peaches and a touch of peach Schnapps; a blueberry drink contains blueberry Schnapps and blue Curacao for coloring.
Strawberry-banana offers a real blended banana and a blast of banana liqueur, creating a sweet flavor that’s addicting. I couldn't keep mine away from my mouth long enough to sustain any conversation, before I was finally slurping the last drops away. Banana bits and a ton of flavor are what makes this frosty Margarita different from all others.
Earlier, we had enjoyed a couple of additions to South West Station's margarita family. The "Ultimate" Margarita is appropriately billed, featuring Cointreau, 1800 tequila, sweet and sour and a dash of lime. A tad on the sweet side, thanks to the Cointreau, we found the creations very smooth; with these margaritas, salt is unnecessary to take away the tart taste, because there isn't one.
Other margaritas of note at South West Station: the Cadillac is legendary in town, combining 1800 tequila and Grand Marnier into a smooth, friendly taste that will knock your socks off. The melon version, touched with melon liqueur, is refreshingly tasty, a big-time palate pleaser. And the original, accented by Rosborough's delicious, one of-a-kind mix, never disappoints.
These frosty delights are not for the faint-hearted--they arrive in huge 23 oz. glasses that practically tip the table over. And on weekdays from 4-6 p.m., they're available at half-price, a bargain if ever there was one.
-by Marcus Dietz
Big Bear Today – June 1995
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