Patron Hacienda brought a pop-up to Zilker Park during Austin City Limits’ first weekend, where the ACL Headliner Margarita became the festival’s most popular drink, according to Charlotte Maracina. Mud, rain and music all competed for attention, alongside food, drinks and brand activations. One branded cocktail stood at the center of that mix.
Maracina attended ACL Fest for the first time and said the weekend exceeded her expectations. Muddy trenches tested her Blundstone Chelsea boots, she wrote, but she left each day ready for the next. She recommended the drink to people headed to weekend two and said she got the recipe from Patron experts. That recommendation points festivalgoers to a product-led pop-up, then to a drink they can make at home with named commercial ingredients.
A Festival Drink With a Brand Behind It
The recipe calls for 1.5 ounces PATRÓN Silver, 0.5 ounces Citrónge Orange Liqueur, 1 ounce pineapple juice and 0.5 ounces lime juice. It also calls for a Tajín rim and a lime wedge for garnish. Those details make the drink repeatable, rather than something available only to order at the park.
Here’s how to make it. Combine all the ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled and combined, then strain into a Tajín-rimmed rocks glass filled with ice. Add a lime wedge. The steps are simple, and so is the shopping trail. The article links readers to buy Austin City Limits weekend two tickets and to shop for ingredients at Total Wine & More.
This is more than a recipe handout. The festival has its pop-up, the drink has its branded ingredients, and the article connects readers to another ticket purchase and an alcohol retailer. It calls the drink the festival’s most popular, while Maracina recommends it to attendees at the next weekend. The attention moves from the festival experience to a named cocktail and the places to buy its ingredients.
The Fine Print Comes With the Pitch
The article appeared Oct. 6, 2026. It says USA TODAY 10BEST editors and readers independently select what appears on the site, and it discloses that the site may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through its links. That disclosure matters: the recipe and recommendation sit alongside commercial links, and purchases through them may generate revenue for the site.
Maracina’s author biography says she is a Long Island native living in Nashville and completed her master’s degree at the University of the Arts London in 2025. It also says she has previously written for Lonely Planet, National Geographic and CNET. When she isn’t writing, the biography says, she explores coffee shops, travels and plans weekend side quests.
There’s no grassroots organizing or mutual-aid effort described here, and no public decision-making dispute. The account documents a festival pop-up, a popular branded drink, and links directing readers toward tickets and ingredients. The cocktail comes with precise measurements; the commercial arrangement comes with an affiliate disclosure.