From decades of living in and traveling around Texas, I’ve found the best margaritas are often where you least expect them. And my personal favorite—don’t hate me—comes from the White Buffalo Bar at the Gage Hotel in the tiny town of Marathon.

Over in Far West Texas, just north of Big Bend National Park, Marathon is a one-horse town so small it doesn’t have a single traffic light. But the Gage Hotel, which dates back to 1927, is making margaritas that meet modern standards for greatness.

This corner of Texas is almost otherworldly in its beauty: remote and grandiose, dry and jagged, intimate and enormous all at once. “The stars at night are big and bright” makes sense only once you’ve seen the night sky in Far West Texas. The first time I saw this part of the state was on a road trip I took with my brother, who was more familiar with the area. He took me to the White Buffalo Bar and ordered me their house margarita, which was limey,  tart, and mildly sweet and salty with just the right amount of booze. I quickly ordered a second. Okay, then a third. Fresh and bright and rounded out by the gentle buzz of orange liqueur, the drinks are built on a base of fruity, funky blanco tequila and are pretty close to perfect.

I never stopped thinking about that trip and that margarita; it has become a kind of legend for me. And on a recent trip around the Texas-Mexico border, I had a chance to stop by the Gage for another drink.

Was it as good as I remembered? Absolutely.