3. Paula's Texas Orange

Paula Angerstein received the second Texas distiller's license (after Tito's), in 2003, and began to distill an orange liqueur--based on her Italian ancestry--more in the style of a limoncello than a triple sec. It has a very bright orange taste, and makes a distinctive margarita, but watch out: It has double the proof of an ordinary triple sec, so a Paula's Orange margarita will pack an extra punch.

Paula's also makes a lemon version of the spirit, and one of the things you will consistently hear about Paula Angerstein is how charming and nice she is.

2. Pura Vida Silver Tequila

Launched with a lot of fanfare in 2011 by Dallas's Stewart Skloss, and featuring ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons as a frontman, it would be easy to dismiss Pura Vida on grounds of hype. The packaging is annoying and elbows out a lot of shelf space, but inside you'll find a tasty 100 percent Blue Agave silver tequila with roasted agave and peppery flavors that's equally at home in a premium margarita or just straight to be sipped from a Glencairn whiskey glass.

While the brand is owned by Texans, Pura Vida is made in Mexico by Feliciano Vivianco and Associates, the same distiller behind Siembra Azul, a local favorite of Houston bartenders and mixologists.

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