At Austin City Limits’ first weekend, Patron Hacienda served the ACL Headliner Margarita from a pop-up at Zilker Park. Mud, rain and music competed for attention with festival food, drinks and brand activations. The recipe, which Patron experts gave first-time ACL Fest attendee Charlotte Maracina, combines PATRÓN Silver, Citrónge Orange Liqueur, pineapple juice and lime juice, with a Tajín rim and lime wedge.
The report focuses on a branded festival drink and one attendee’s experience. It doesn’t describe a government decision, a change to national authority or a demographic policy. The institutional actors it identifies are the festival setting, Patron Hacienda, the drinks brand and the publication that carries the recipe, ticket link and shopping link.
The recipe and the pop-up
The recipe calls for 1.5 ounces of PATRÓN Silver, 0.5 ounces of Citrónge Orange Liqueur, 1 ounce of pineapple juice and 0.5 ounces of lime juice. Add a Tajín rim and a lime wedge for garnish.
To make the drink, combine the ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until chilled and combined. Strain it into a rocks glass with a Tajín rim and ice, then add a lime wedge. Those quantities and steps give readers the practical details for making the drink at home.
Maracina said the pop-up served the festival’s most popular drink, the ACL Headliner Margarita. The article doesn’t offer sales totals, a survey or another measure of popularity. Instead, it attributes that description to Maracina’s account of the event.
An attendee’s account
Maracina attended ACL Fest for the first time during the first weekend. She wrote that the weekend exceeded her expectations, even with muddy trenches putting her Blundstone Chelsea boots to work. She said she left each day ready for the next.
She recommended the margarita to people planning to attend weekend two and said Patron experts gave her the recipe. Her account connects the drink with one part of the festival experience, alongside the weather, music and food and drink offerings. The article doesn’t report what other attendees thought or make a wider claim about festivalgoers’ views.
Maracina’s biography identifies her as a Long Island native who lives in Nashville. It says she completed her master’s degree at the University of the Arts London in 2025 and previously wrote 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.
Links and disclosure
Published Oct. 6, 2026, the article included a link to buy Austin City Limits weekend two tickets and a link to shop for ingredients at Total Wine & More. It also disclosed that USA TODAY 10BEST editors and readers independently select what appears on the site, and that the publication may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through its links.
The disclosure identifies a potential commercial relationship tied to purchases made through the article’s links. The source provides no commission amount, sales figures or details about the financial arrangement. The recipe remains the main offering, while the festival pop-up and Maracina’s recommendation give readers context as they decide whether to make the drink or attend the next weekend.