SCOTTSDALE

THE MISSION

TOP CINCO DE MAYO HOT SPOTS - 2010

05/05/2010 - Haven't decided where to celebrate Cinco de Mayo? Don't fret. Our nightlife expert found three of the hottest party spots in the Valley for you to check out tonight.

SECOND PLACE: The Mission

To celebrate Cinco de Mayo, the Mission launches tequila flights, or three tastings of tequila ordered as a set.

This is wonderful news for anyone who wants to celebrate the best of Mexican drinking culture, as opposed to those just looking to indulge in mass quantities of the most middling of Mexican drinking culture.

The Mission is one of the Valley's most glamorous and most consistently satisfying upscale Mexican restaurants. And since it opened, general manager and owner Brian Raab has been cultivating the tequila menu, working with distributors, esoteric tequila makers and suppliers to get a selection of spirits that appeal to anyone looking to move beyond their college-level relationship with the liquor.

The Mission offers pages and pages of tequila and related liquors, including all the fancy ones you expect at upscale Latin restaurants and a few that are more unexpected. And typically, Raab will introduce you to them over a smile and a tiny pour at the bar. But now, you can get bigger pours and maybe a little less facetime with Brian (maybe, he's a talker) by ordering a flight and hosting your own tasting experience.

I had something there the other day that tasted like tequila, honey and baby angel tears all in one tiny glass. Amazing.