Margarita Madness is Desert Door’s unique spin on NCAA March Madness. Our Tasting Room staff were challenged to develop creative new margarita recipes, with the winner receiving a cash prize. The Desert Door distillery, located 20 miles from Austin in the scenic Hill Country—a popular weekend destination for Austinites—became the backdrop for this spirited competition. March also marks the arrival of SXSW, when Austin’s population swells as hundreds of thousands of visitors pour into the city.

Q1 is typically a slow quarter for the spirits industry. With Desert Door’s goal of driving Tasting Room revenue by 10% year-over-year in 2024, reviving Margarita Madness was a natural choice. In addition to helping us meet revenue goals for Q1, the campaign also served to build momentum heading into Q2.

While margaritas are traditionally made with tequila or mezcal, Desert Door’s unique flavor profile allows it to compete effectively in the agave-based cocktail market. To mirror the NCAA tournament format, we organized eight cocktail entries into a bracket. Guests voted for their favorite margaritas via an online voting system with live results, and after four weeks of spirited competition, a winning margarita was crowned.