Are Soft-Serve Margs the Drink of the Summer? (Yes!) Where to Find Them in Dallas

What took us so long to get here? Dallas has a long history with the frozen margarita. In 1971, Mariano Martinez walked into a 7-Eleven, saw a Slurpee machine and had an epiphany: What if we put a margarita in that? Fifty-five years later, it seems like someone looked at a soft-serve machine and asked the very same thing.

Recently, the soft-serve marg started trending online. It seems to have started in Ohio (we weren’t expecting that either). Bourbon Street Bar and Grill has staked a claim to being the first to bring it to Dallas. We came across one on Lower Greenville this week and will testify to its legitimacy.

These drinks are super smooth, not icy but also not like “soft serve” in the dairy sense. It’s like a Dole Whip, the famous Disneyland drink, an ultra-smooth pineapple cloud-like slushie. (By the grace of all that is holy in the world, you don’t have to submit to a theme park to get one. Many tiki bars serve Dole Whip with rum.)

We tried a soft-serve marg at Apothecary. It was not too sweet nor too strong, with a subtle flavor. The only debate here is how to drink/eat it, as it sits somewhere between a solid and a liquid. This is Dallas, so we have no doubt you’ll all figure it out. We’ve not been so excited about a drink since they started putting decent wine in boxes with spouts.

If there are more places serving soft-serve margs, let me know at lauren.daniels@dallasobserver.com.

Apothecary

1922 Greenville Ave., Lower Greenville
Apothecary 2.0 opened this week (it basically swallowed its sister concept, Michelin-recognized Rye, in a friendly takeover). Co-owner Tannar Agar added a soft-serve margarita to the drink menu. The tequila-based cocktail is glossed up with grilled pineapple and a touch of mezcal. Oh-so-yum. These are served with little spoons, and you won’t be able to shovel them in fast enough. Get the beef cheek tacos to go with. It may be the best meal you’ll have all year. Bet me on it.

Bourbon Street Bar and Grill

1833 Airport Freeway, Bedford
Bourbon Street Bar and Grill is your mid-cities connection. They originally sold these at their sister concept, Barrel and Bones, but due to demand, moved it over to this spot. I dunno. Here, they spin tequila, agave and citrus into a dairy-free soft-serve margarita. These come with a Tajin rim, and flavor choices include mango, peach, strawberry, dark cherry or passionfruit. Each is just $10. Get a Grand Marnier floater for $3. Throwing some Big Easy vibes at these could be dangerous.

Gigi’s Plano

7300 Lone Star Dr., The Shops at Plano
Based on Instagram, Gigi’s Bar and Lounge has a soft serve margarita that has mango, chamoy and tajin.