Tequila was flying off the shelves and cheese was dripping off the ‘chos last Monday, at Taco Dan’s in Granville, Ohio. There, the SpoonU Denison Squad was passing out margaritas like Tom Cruise at the end of Cocktail. “Margarita Monday,” turned out to be a moderate success as dozens of parched students wandered down to the local bar/thrift shop/electrician/antique dealer/TBD to get their drink on. The Spooners put in dedicated work setting up the event, with some members arriving to Taco Dan’s as early as noon to prep. “This is a very successful event,” said SpoonU Community Manager Kayla Marks, “Hopefully it will be annual. We’re glad to be supporting a local business.”
Photo courtesy of Spoon Denison
Aside from the continuous flow of loaded nachos from the kitchen to the dining room full of loaded students, the main attraction of the night was the Margarita Judging Contest. With the price of admission, students had the opportunity to taste test 3 different margaritas before voting on which they enjoyed most. They then were served a tall, glistening glass of their favorite flavor.
The nominees were each legends of their own right. The stalwart House Marg has been a tradition of Denison Wednesday nights since the American Revolution. The Big Red, a twist of the house margarita with cranberry juice, was the hometown hero and a celebrated underdog. Finally, the Mango-Rita (a blend of tequila, raspberry, mango soda, and sweet + sour) was the hotshot out-of-towner looking to upstage the classics and make a name for itself.
Student opinions ranged from passionate to contentious. Junior Liz McMonday, a vehement supporter of the Mango-Rita, proclaimed, “It’s got a great flavor profile! Let’s make no bones about this.” Others showed a bit more uncertainty: “Um, maybe the Big Red,” uttered conflicted junior Ana Paula. The House Marg did not stand up well to the cultured crowd of upperclassmen, with the lone exception of senior Caroline Teleisha, who claims that they “unleash her.”
Photo courtesy of Spoon Denison
The three-way clash of the titans turned into a two horse race, with the Big Red edging out the Mango-Rita as the last of the votes were counted around closing time. Final Tally shows:
| Rank | Name | Votes |
| 1 | Big Red | 21 |
| 2 | Mango-Rita | 18 |
| 3 | House Marg | 2 |
| 4 | “Daddy Bill” aka Bill Phelan | 1 |
At the end of the night, the Spooners were overall pleased with the end result. “I think everybody had a blast. I could have sworn it looked like Wednesday in there at some points,” remarked Spooner senior Katy Barenholtz. Words could not ring truer. But the final say of the evening belonged to Rachel Mabie: “I inhaled the nachos.”