Los Amigos offers margaritas, tacos and delivery in Vail

Bar Manager Tyler Jamison puts it simply: “Los Amigos is margaritas and tacos. That’s what we’re all about,” says the seasoned mixologist. “We’re good Mexican food and really good drinks — especially the margaritas.”

He might be biased, but he’s not wrong. Fresh off a three-week trip to Mexico “to make our recipes simpler and taste better,” Jamison is newly inspired and ready for the best of all margarita seasons: summer.

“I think a lot of people in the U.S. try to add too many ingredients, over-complicating something that is simple,” he explained. “You should get a zesty lime flavor, but it shouldn’t be mouth-puckering tart. Good mouthfeel. And you should get all the tastes: orange liqueur, tequila and lime.”

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Owner Drew Riley, Jamison and the rest of the staff have been concentrating heavily on the restaurant’s margaritas for quite some time. With a change in local liquor laws — and a Blix delivery bike — Los Amigos now delivers its margaritas as well as other menu highlights to East and West Vail. So it’s easy to kick back at the condo and let dinner and drinks come to you. At the moment, the margaritas are available in half- and full-liter options. And they’re working toward canning them, too.

“Los Amigos is margaritas and tacos. That’s what we’re all about.” Tyler Jamison, Los Amigos bar manager

Another memento from Jamison’s trip to the Yucatan is a tamarind marg, La Fiesta. In addition to the classic ingredients, they add a house-made tamarind syrup.

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“Every single bar we went to had a tamarind margarita,” he said. “It’s smooth with a little bit of a bite to it.”

And Los Amigos’ signature margarita, two years in the making, is the Mi Amigo!, with a green-chili-infused tequila, lime and pineapple. Despite the Colorado-centric green chili flavor, it’s not spicy. Of course, if you do want spice, try the Dragon’s Teeth. Instead of infusing the tequila with fresh chilis, which vary so widely in heat and water content, Jamison has been using dried peppers to make a rather intense tincture.

“You just use a drop. If you want it super spicy, maybe two. It’s giving us a better, more consistent result,” he said.

If you want to branch out from the margarita options, try the Mole Tequila Old Fashioned. “It’s got really good añejo tequila and a mixture of mole chocolate and orange bitters,” Jamison describes. “Served on a big rock, it’s got just the right sweetness and really nice tequila.”

All of the cocktails and other bar treats are best experienced with antojitos like guacamole, queso or nachos, as well as the street tacos. Carne asada, barbacoa, carnitas, mango chicken — there are a lot of fillings. But both Riley and Jamison love the fried lobster option. Lightly breaded in panko, it’s fried and comes with fish taco sauce and mango salsa.

“It’s tangy, crunchy and everything you want in a taco,” promised Riley. Best served on the killer mountainside patio, with a margarita of course.