Article by Allie, Liquor Department Associate
It’s no longer just “gonna be May,” friends; the month has actually arrived, which means rolling out the red carpet for the tequila and mezcal. Our liquor post this month features great spirit choices made from agave to mix into your margs of choice, but here we will focus more on the ready-made offerings… because who has the time to mix a drink when outside enjoying a beautiful Colorado summer? I’d much prefer something to toss into my backpack for a bike ride and be done with it.
Although you’ll see a great many of our canned and bottled margaritas available on sale during early May, our feature’s focus falls solely on the local Coyote Gold brand out of Fort Collins.
Specializing from the beginning in a pre-mixed margarita, the brand has several offerings through boozy popsicles, large bottles in multiple flavors, and most recently in aluminum cans. Need a “lite” version? Don’t worry, they’ve got you covered — and we carry those, too!
Founders Maureen Schaffer and Randy Zwetzig began their journey in margarita design in 1998 in their home kitchens, finally launching their official product in local liquor stores in 2008. From the beginning, their blend of tequila, orange liqueur, and citrus juices gathered a large following, so much so that, according to their own website, Coyote Gold products would sell quicker than water in the desert and leave store shelves empty until the next batch could be produced. By 2017, Eric Udell reports in a 2018 Coloradan interview: “the company… [outsold] even Jose Cuervo’s premium bottled margarita in Colorado. In especially loyal markets, like Fort Collins, they outsell the tequila behemoth an average of 5-to-1.”
Although at one point a large distributor forced production to move outside of Colorado, Schaffer and Zwetzig retreated back to their home state to restart the business at a new facility in 2014, and here they plan to stay for the long haul.
As for flavors in Coyote Gold, it’s zesty and zingy with citrus notes, and the finish incredibly smooth without a huge bite of alcoholic heat. Frozen, on the rocks, or straight out of the fridge, Coyote Gold gives an intensely flavorful sip that keeps you wanting more. We’ve tried a great many pre-made margaritas here at Superior Liquor, and Coyote Gold continues to rank in the top three favorites, if not the top of the list.
Look for many Coyote Gold products, including cans and 1.75L bottles, in the Pre-Mixed section of Superior Liquor, located in Aisle 15D. See you soon!
Sources and Further Reading:
(1) Udell, E. (2018, August 31). Meet the Fort Collins engineers behind Coyote Gold’s mini margarita empire. Retrieved from https://www.coloradoan.com/story/life/2018/08/30/how-fort-collins-engineers-struck-liquid-gold-margarita/1046532002/
(2) (n.d.). Retrieved from https://coyotegold.com/