Many say there’s a secret ingredient inside The Rio Grande’s, 1525 Blake St., powerful margaritas.

Others say they just use tequila and lots of it.

After one Rio margarita, you begin to forget about the secret ingredient, along with troubles from the office.

After a second Rio margarita, you begin to forget about the mediocre food and start to order a plethora of appetizers to appease your tequila-induced hunger.

After the third, you remember why they have a three-marg limit.

But what isn’t hard to remember is how perfect these south-of-the border treats are for a Friday afternoon Happy Hour.

If you can leave work early (don’t laugh), try to get there right when it opens at 5 p.m., for a prime people watching spot at one of the most popular happy hour spots in LoDo.

The Rio is only open for lunch (11 a.m.-2 p.m.) and dinner (5-10:30 p.m.) and rarely has happy hour specials. The Rio Margarita, a strong house margarita that is perfect on the rocks and costs $5, easily makes up for the lack of accommodating hours and cheap drinks. Popular in the college towns from which it originated (Fort Collins and Boulder) the Rio has become a staple of the Denver happy hour scene.

Aside from margaritas, the Docket committee was able to sample a few of the restaurant’s appetizers, which included nachos and queso dip. While the guacamole failed to bring tears to our eyes, the sweet and sour mix certainly did.