About 500 people gathered at Hadley Farms Meeting House last week for the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce Margarita Madness 2017.
Madness-goers strolled among sombrero-clad vendors to sample exotic margaritas from 23 area restaurants and businesses with names like “Blew Out My Flip Flop” and “The Ruby Red Rescue Margarita” while noshing on appetizers and desserts.
Tequila was mixed with liqueurs like Grand Marnier and St. Germain, but also merged with basil, jalapeno peppers, mint and green tea.
Fruit flavors, in addition to the ever-popular lime, included blueberry, watermelon, mango and grapefruit.
American Troubadours, a mariachi band featuring Jaime Chiluisa and Eduardo Rocha, roamed the crowd.
Raffle items sponsored by local businesses included a free one-year lease of a 2017 Subaru Impreza by Steve Lewis Subaru in Hadley.
At the end of the night, raffle winners were announced and guests voted for their favorite margaritas in three categories.
The Pub, in Amherst, won “Best Restaurant Margarita” with their “Blueberry Sugar Shack Maple,” while “Best Business Margarita” by Dakin Humane Society/ Russell’s Liquor Store scored with a “Cotton Tail,” which contained cream soda and a package of cotton candy.
“Closing Time” landed a win for Jones Group Realtors in the “Most Creative Margarita” category. Champagne and caviar limes were among the ingredients.
Scotty Swan, of Northampton, said he liked the “Mango Grove” margarita made by Bistro 63 Monkey Bar in Amherst.
“It’s spicy. Definitely not for the weak,” he said.
“Some were great, some were not,” said Diane Ciolkos of Hadley.
She favored a “Grapefruit Juicy Fruit” from Amherst Brewing/The Hangar. “I like the spicy ones, not the sweet ones,” she noted.
Jerrey Roberts can be reached at jroberts@gazettenet.com.