Best Aguas Frescas 2013 | Pro's Ranch Market | La Vida | Phoenix
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Best Aguas Frescas

Pro's Ranch Market

Timur Guseynov

With the entirety of the Pro's Ranch Market produce department at their disposal, this oasis within the madness of this supermercado is built on the colorful contents of the now-ubiquitous beehive glass jugs. Not only do the friendly ladies behind the juice bar make a mean (sadly, virgin) piña colada, but there is something awe-inspiring in watching 30 gallons of horchata being made in one batch.

Best Exotic Drinks

Frutilandia

Are you a refreshment seeker of the unusual sort? Then you'll want to wrap your lips around the chamoy-coated straw of a bebida exotica at this cheery sweet shop in Mesa. Colorful, bold, and jam-packed with ingredients like fresh mango, tamarind candy, plum syrup, flavored shaved ice, and cinnamon, the 21-ounce liquid invigorators might be creamy and fruity (the Gloria), sour and nutty (the Chamoyada), or devilishly sweet and spicy (our favorite, the Diablito). One thing they never are, though, is forgettable.

Best Paletas

Paletas Betty

With her kitschy logo and signature bite mark on every paleta (don't worry; it's a mold, not from her mouth), Betty stays at the top of the frozen-treat business in this town for two very good reasons: The insistence of using all-natural and fresh ingredients and the melding of traditional Mexican flavors with a modern twist.

With her roots in Michoacán, the ice cream- and paleta-churning state of Mexico, Betty Alatorre de Hong fills her paleta molds with a colorful array of the best seasonal offerings of the Valley's farmers, like dates, peaches, and sweet corn, accented with raisins.

One of our new favorites? The very adult-appropriate aged-rum-spiked piña colada. And one more reason to love Paletas Betty? The Perroleta, a dogs-only chicken popsicle!

Best Paletas by the Case

Dulceria Arcoiris

Heather Hoch

If you've ever wished for a brick-and-mortar expanded version of an ice cream truck, wish no longer — Dulceria Arcoiris is here to fulfill your childhood summer dreams. The best part is that the fully-open-to-the-public warehouse sells its ice cream, popsicle, and candy wares at wholesale prices, so you can get an unreasonable amount of sweets, including gallon jugs of snow-cone syrup, for next to nothing. Boxes of a dozen paletas in almost any flavor, including cucumber, coconut, and guava, are only $5. Plus, they offer all of the classics like bomb pops, drumsticks, and those cartoon character ice cream pops with the gumball eyes. No matter what sweet treat you pick at Dulceria Arcoiris, it's going to be so cheap that the trip to the spot on 15th Street and Van Buren spot pretty much will pay for itself.

Best Mexican Candy Store

Dulcería La Mexicana

What this small retail storefront lacks in space and ambiance, it more than makes up for with its variety of Mexican candies sold in larger packages perfect for stuffing the star-shaped piñatas dangling from the ceiling. It carries the requisite salty treats, like Lucas, and the sugary goodness of De la Rosa Mazapan, a powdery peanut butter candy. And, once you've loaded up on candy to stuff the piñata, you have to stop at the ice cream counter and stuff yourself with a Pico de Gallo. It's a glass filled with long strips of fresh pineapple, cucumber, mango, and watermelon cut right in front of you, covered with a sprinkle of Tajin, a salty/spicy/sour topping, and chile cayena (cayenne pepper).

Best Mexican Party Store

Sueños y Recuerdos

Friendly, helpful workers make this bright, fun store that much better. At this one-stop shop, you get everything you need to throw a fabulous party. You can pick up one of the piñatas it has in stock or, if you give them a week's notice, you can custom-order one. Need a water slide? They have it available for rent. Ditto for jukeboxes and karaoke machines, along with margarita, cotton candy, popcorn, snow cone, slush machines — and even a mini-hot dog cart you can haul away for the day. True to the name, Sueños y Recuerdos also carries delicate, frilly recuerdos (keepsakes) for weddings, baptisms, first communions, baby showers, and quinceañeras.

Best Mexican Tchotchkes

Mercado Mexico

A flock of ceramic chickens greets you at Mercado Mexico. We could say it's almost like they're egging you on to explore — but that would be cheesy. And the chickens are only the beginning. Past the chickens are brightly colored turtles, frogs, lizards, and pigs — all keeping warm under blazing metal suns. There are candle holders, wrought-iron works of art, pieces twisted and flattened into flowers, potted-plant holders, and decorative wall pieces. And there are pots; oh, how there are pots — pots with lids, pots for planting, giant pots just for display, pots emblazoned with desert landscapes and Mexican or Indian villages. Don't be chicken; get shopping.

Best Mexican Home Goods

Mexamigo Furniture

No matter what you want, this place has it. Rustic, leather-covered chaise lounges. A six-foot pine bar with built-in drawers and a wine rack. Decorative vases and pots that range from "Hey, let's plant a few herbs" to suitable for an indoor queen palm. Mexamigo gets its goods from a factory in Guadalajara, so it's as authentic Mexican craftsmanship as you can get. As packed as this place is, it is clean and organized, easy to maneuver. There are rows and rows — and stacks upon stacks — of crosses, wall art, paintings, mirrors, tiles, wood and ceramic statues, talavera pottery, fountains, wrought iron gates, doors, antiques . . . Well, like we said, no matter what you want, this place has it. If they don't have it, you can custom-order it and they'll create it.

Best Mexican Market

El Rancho Mercado y Carniceria

We love the large supermercados in town, but when all we need is a cone or two of piloncillo or a package of chipotles, this tiny market in Mesa is just the thing to fill our shopping basket. With the same selection as the big stores (but edited), the shelves of this small shop (and the delicious bakery attached to it) burst with Mexican cleaning products, pickled jalepeños, every type of dried chile used in Latin cooking, and a quick-moving and well-priced produce section. The meat counter running the width of the store is packed full of house-cut meats, which are expertly seasoned and cooked for the small and affordable ready-to-eat food section, with a food coma-inducing $5 torta. Grab a Mexican Coke and enjoy every bite before even leaving the store, at one of the thoughtfully provided red laminate tables.

Best Margarita

Margarita Especial Sierra Bonita Grill

How did we know we'd likely stumbled upon a winner in the Best Margarita category? The name, silly. A high-class joint like Sierra Bonita Grill was hardly going to call a margarita special if it wasn't. And, oh, this one is. The not-so-secret ingredient that pushes it over the edge is brandy, but from top to bottom, this drink is all good: shaken orange juice, Cointreau, reposado tequila, and homemade sweet and sour. Be sure to bring your designated driver; this drink is a strong one.

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