There’s no such thing as a bad party as long as you’ve got a margarita in your hand and some good music to dance to. Maybe some good company, too.
That’s the vision behind Bacanal, Jacksonville’s first mobile margarita bar focused on the perfect margarita.
Founder Maria Quintanilla is a lifelong Jacksonville resident who grew up as the daughter of immigrant parents from Nicaragua. She went to Sandalwood High School and spent her days among family and friends in the largest city in Florida, planning, as most teenagers do, to leave town once she was old enough.
In early adulthood, Quintanilla worked between retail stores and the food industry at various local businesses around the city, gaining valuable experience in the realm of customer service and the ins and outs of running a small business.
In the fall of 2024, Quintanilla took those experiences, combined with her lifelong dream, and opened her mobile margarita business, Bacanal.
“‘Bacanal’ means a really great, remarkable party,” Quintanilla explained. “Any party can be a bacanal, so I wanted my business to have a part of my culture.”
As a mobile pop-up bar, Bacanal has made appearances all over the county and even crossed city lines to help tend bar at a small wedding just weeks into its launch.
The bar itself was built by Quintanilla along with her father and brother, who designed the concept in five wooden pieces that Quintanilla could put together and take apart all on her own. When she’s setting up at a market or private event, she loads the pieces into the back of her car, sets up at the venue, and then breaks it all down again at the end of the night.
“I genuinely enjoy serving people,” Quintanilla said. “Getting to know them, whether that’s at their wedding or a local market, hearing their life’s story, or if they just want to talk about a bad day. I love it.”
Bacanal specializes in fresh, hand-crafted margaritas with recipes that Quintanilla devises all on her own. She’ll take inspiration from fruits and ingredients that are in season to come up with her latest flavors, such as earlier this summer when she tested a watermelon basil margarita and a pineapple mint margarita.
When the seasons change, so does the margarita list. Last fall, Quintanilla experimented with spices and herbs for autumnal-themed margaritas. If you spot Bacanal at an event, you can expect two seasonal flavors and a good, old-fashioned classic margarita.
She purchases the ingredients for her handcrafted syrups and mixers from local farmers' markets such as the Murray Hill Farmer’s Market or the weekly Riverside Arts Markets.
“My favorite part is the creativity behind it,” Quintanilla said. “Having the freedom to try different combinations and going into my kitchen and throwing new things together.”
While Bacanal does make appearances at public markets, the business’s specialty is private events. Birthday parties, bachelorette parties, retirement parties, baby showers, corporate events, even weddings — Bacanal is prepared to bring the margarita party to any.
As per Florida law, mobile bartenders cannot provide alcohol and must be hired as dry hires, so when it comes to private events, customers must purchase the alcohol on their own. From there, Bacanal is responsible for everything else, from fresh syrups and homemade mixers to cups, napkins, straws, ice, garnishes and more. Plus, Bacanal handles the actual mixing, garnishing and serving part.
The wooden bar itself is extremely versatile and can be decorated to fit the needs of the event. When it comes to margarita flavors, Quintanilla can provide her own recipes or is happy to work with clients to come up with something new and exciting.
“The crazier the better,” she said. “I love a challenge.”
So, why margaritas?
According to Quintanilla, the drink holds a special place in her life. Not only was it her first legal beverage at age 21, but it’s become something of a ritual between her and her mom, who always go out for margaritas first thing upon visiting one another.
“When my grandma got sick, before she passed, we always used to say that when she got better, we would go out for margaritas and go dancing,” Quintanilla explained. “So now, each event, each margarita I sell, it’s really like we’re all sharing a drink and going out dancing.”
Bacanal makes monthly appearances at Riverside’s Park After Dark event but is also available for private bookings throughout the state. You can find the mobile margarita bar on Instagram at @bacanaljax or on its website at www.bacanaljax.com.
