Words by Ambar Ramirez & Carmen Macri
THE HUNT: FINDING THE BEST SPICY MARGARITA IN TOWN
4.5/5
FLYING IGUANA
Located in the heart of the busy Beaches Town Center is Flying Iguana, a taqueria and tequila bar that has won “Best Margarita” in the “Folio” Best of Jax contest. And while we are all for taking Jacksonville’s advice (and votes) to heart, it would have been a disservice not to include this “Good Vibes Only” restaurant in our hunt for the best spicy margarita in Jacksonville. It would also be a disservice to lie to you all reading this and say that this was our first time having the spicy margarita at Flying Iguana because frankly, we’ve had it many, many times. But any excuse to have a margarita is good enough for us. The Spice of Life margarita is a lovely combination of spicy pepper-infused Cazadores Tequila Blanco, triple sec, organic agave nectar and housemade sour mix. Flying Iguana always has a great presentation when it comes to their plates and cocktails, but what is more important is the flavor. And low and behold, the flavor did not disappoint. The Spice of Life is definitely on the spicy side, but paired with the organic agave nectar the drink was well-balanced. Sweet and salty is out, spicy and sweet is in. Still, it’s not a drink we could consume heavily. One sip left our mouths’ burning for the next … which, we guess, is the point.
ATMOSPHERE: 4/5 MARGARITA: 5/5 OVERALL: 4.5/5 Perfect for people who frequent the beach bars and enjoy crowded spaces.
86 Folio Weekly
3.5/5
ANEJO COCINA MEXICANA
Located in Brooklyn, Anejo Cocina Mexicana is on the fancier side of Mexican restaurants in Jacksonville. This family-owned and operated restaurant specializes in traditional meals with a modern twist. The restaurant itself offers great views with its full floor-to-ceiling windows that wrap around the space and well-decorated interior. But, of course, we weren’t there for the atmosphere (though they definitely are getting some bonus points for that): We were there for their spicy margaritas. To add some variety to our palettes, we ordered the Cucumber Jalapeño Margarita. This margarita is a concoction of 21 Seeds Tequila Blanco, lime, agave and, naturally, cucumber. The only difference between the spicy cucumber marg and their regular spicy marg is that the spicy marg uses Monte Alban Respasado (and has no cucumbers). Now, we thought the cucumber would act as a great desensitizer to the jalapeño, but one sip had my mouth burning to the point that I could barely taste the cucumber. Usually, I can down a spicy marg in just a few minutes, but when I say we were at the restaurant for over an hour, lightly sipping these spicy margs, I mean it. Granted, one cocktail had us feeling a little bit more than buzzed but for $13.25, we’re not quite sure if the pain brought us any gain.
ATMOSPHERE: 4/5 MARGARITA: 3/5 OVERALL: 3.5/5 Perfect for people who have just made a lot of money at work and want to spend it.
