Jimmy Buffett would be proud

WASILLA — Sitting at the bar at Chepo’s, talking with Lucia Nanez, it’s not hard to see she’s a woman who’s thought a lot about tequila.

On a recent Thursday afternoon, Nanez passed around bottles of more than a dozen varieties kept on hand at the Mexican restaurant on the Parks Highway. She asked her visitors to compare the smells of the different varieties.

“Always with the color, the darkest is the best,” Nanez said in her lightly accented English. “Why? Because it’s aged.”

This year, and for as many years as Nanez can remember, the restaurant she and her husband — Jose, “Chepo” Nanez — own and run was deemed to have the Best Margarita in the Valley in a poll of Frontiersman readers. She thinks the restaurant has won at least 10 years in a row. They’re almost running out of wall space for the awards.

In second place this year was Chili’s and Hacienda took third.

Chepo’s also won this year for best Mexican food, with second and third place going to La Fiesta and Hacienda respectively.

Chepo’s has been a part of the Valley landscape since the Nanezes opened up shop in 1988. Nanez said she and Jose met in Mexico. When they first got to Alaska she started looking around at the competition, sizing up their margaritas.

Chepo’s then came up with its own secret recipe. Now, with a restaurant in Wasilla and one in Eagle River, she said she’s heard reports that other restaurants and bartenders are coming by the Eagle River branch to do similar recognizance work.

“Right now they’re coming from all over Anchorage to try the margarita,” Nanez said.

They all ask what the secret is. But that’s the thing, Nanez said. It’s a secret. But some things she will talk about.

“We use the high-quality ingredients,” Nanez said. “In a good-quality margarita, it doesn’t burn. It doesn’t give you a hangover.”

And then there’s the age-old question — one any maragarita-drinker has been faced with countless times — blended or on the rocks?

“We highly recommend it on the rocks,” Nanez said. “Once you blend it, the flavor is still there but it’s not the same. It’s not pure.”

She said she’s rolling out a third variety — shaken margaritas served in a pint glass. She said she thinks tossing the margarita around like you would a martini spices things up for customers.

As for what tequila to try, both Nanezes were in agreement. They’re favorite is 3 Generaciones, a brand of Sauza tequila. Nanez said a good tequila is good as a shot rather than mixed into a drink.

But if cocktails are your thing, she said she’s planning to roll out a new one — the Matador — that will be Cazadores tequila, Grand Marnier and peach schnapps.

For tequila aficionados, there are certainly a number of varieties available at Chepo’s. Some want a variety of Cazadores — Spanish for “hunter.” Others want Patron, a brand made famous in a number of hip hop songs.

“Young people like the Patron,” Nanez said. “Brave men they come and say, ‘I want Cazadores,’” Nanez said.

As for the food at Chepo’s, Nanez said they’re working to add new things to the menu, including a number of seafood options. And then there’s the green salsa they’ve cooked up which has a spicy kick and an avocado flavor to it. But while the food will always be a big draw, margaritas will be as well.

For a number of customers, “that’s the first thing they want, margaritas,” Jose Nanez said.