Update to yesterday's blog: after a final round of margarita musings at Sol Toro, we judges selected the winner of the inaugural Perfect Margarita contest: Jason Scalise of Colchester won handily with his refreshing berry-flavored take on the 'rita. Beyond his clever palm-tree/blackberry garnish, Scalise's mixture balanced the tartness of lime nicely with the sweetness of his berry flavoring. His recipe will appear on the menu of Sol Toro for one year. Stay tuned for a recipe.

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Tonight marks my final duties in one of the toughest assignments I've ever taken: a judging gig in Sol Toro Tequila Grill's inaugural Perfect Margarita Contest. (Sol Toro's at Mohegan Sun, for the uninitiated.)

After three semifinals, we have the winners of each round ready to battle it out for a year-long spot on Sol Toro's drink menu and some hefty gift certificates from Visa and Michael Jordan's Restaurants.

I'll be curious to see if our winners, ahem, mix it up a little and change their recipes. Though I missed the third semifinal round thanks to a giant sinus infection, I can report that the competitors have pulled out all the stops to make their margaritas stand out. We judges have sampled orange, blue, jalapeno (really), grapefruit (I think), chocolate, salty, sweet, and spicy concoctions and have witnessed just about every type of garnish there is, including, yes, a big old jalapeno pepper. Thus far, my front runner is Ruth Fallon of Pawcatuck's very simple blue curacao margarita, which won semifinal #1.

For my money, the best margarita contains four things: limes, ice, tequila, and a none-too-sweet base. That's it. When hubby and I don't feel like squeezing limes and making simple syrup, we make our Poor Man's 'Rita, which goes like this: fill pint glass with loads of ice. Add tequila to taste (we like Milagro) and a whisper of Cointreau or Gran Gala. Fill the rest of the glass with Odwalla's Summertime Lime (tough to find but worth it) or Odwalla's PomaGrand pomegranate lime-aid; or Newman's Own Virgin Lime-aid (or, if you can get to a Trader Joe's, their house brand lime-aid is great, too). All of those lime-aids are more tangy than sweet, and THAT's what I'm talking about.

In any case, on this festive Cinco de Mayo, we'll be at Sol Toro determining the big winner of the contest, and I'll report back with details and stories of grandiose garnishes.