There are many great times to celebrate during the year — grand holidays that mark this little blue rock’s trip around the sun.

These annual celebrations call for friends and family, but more importantly, booze. New Year’s Eve has its champagne, Independence Day calls for cracking open a beer and St. Patrick’s Day demands sacrifices of Jameson and Guinness.

For those who look hard enough, you’ll find that some of the holidays hidden in the calendar just cannot be ignored. That’s right, I speak only of National Margarita Day.

Feb. 22 is the time to dust off your best tequila, gather some limes and assemble a group of your best amigos to tip a few back.

During my travels, I have had the great privilege of drinking in some of the finest cantinas and tequila bars in the world, and it is with great pleasure that I pass on some of my best takes on the great cocktail from south of the border.

First, you must have a good tequila. Typically, you’ll find tequila in three colors. Blancos (or whites) are the least flavorful and most often found in shot glasses. Then you have your golden, or Reposados. These have a bit more flavor and a little less of a bite than silvers. The third is the darkest brown and most delicious of them all, the Anejos. This is what I recommend putting in your margarita. I’m quite partial to Cazadores Anejo — it’s delicious and very moderately priced.

Second — and this is often overlooked — you need a good splash of orange to mix in with your tequila to give it a slice of sweetness. I would go with Cointreau, a French orange liqueur, but there is also a great flavor to be had with Grand Marnier. If you’re in a bind, your standard bottle of triple sec will do, but that always leaves a fake, too-sweet taste in my mouth.

Finally, get some fresh limes. If you’re feeling fancy, spring for some ground chili pepper and rock salt, because why not?

Pay attention, because here’s a great margarita recipe: find a shaker, add three shots of tequila, one and a half shots of fresh lime juice, one and a half shots of Cointreau and one and a half shots of fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice. Then shake and serve. Sprinkle some chili powder and salt in for the perfect concoction that looks mighty fine to boot.

Speaking of boots, I recently had the opportunity to go to Cabaret Night at Etsi Bravo. I always love themed parties because people just seem to have a better time there.

I sat down with Serina Preach, a senior botany major at WSU. I asked what attracts her to themed parties, especially the lavish ones that Etsi Bavo throws.

“One of my favorite things about themed parties is how everyone at Etsi seems to be super into it,” Preach said. “It’s not like any other bar. People at Etsi actually try super hard to be in the theme of everything.”

She’s right. Whether it’s a masquerade ball or Halloween or disco night or a French cabaret, people always dress to the nines. I recommend checking Etsi Bravo’s Facebook page for a heads up on when these shindigs are.

Odds are, you’ll find Preach sipping on a newfound favorite of hers, an Old Fashioned with Irish whiskey. It was a step out of her usual cocktail box.

“It wasn’t as strong as your normal one,” Preach said, referring to the normal burn of American whiskey, and rightly so. It’s easy, softer and very drinkable in my opinion.

And outside of just National Margarita Day, there are more drinks to be had. Spring break is coming around again. That great time of beaches, road trips and new friends, the perfect chance to enjoy yourself and take a break. There’s more to come.

It’s still snowy outside, so please be mindful of your driving. Stay safe you drunken bastards, and bottoms up.