Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo, the Mexican holiday celebrating the victory of Mexico over the globally feared French army at the Battle of Puebla. Who knows why, but we in the United States also like to celebrate this holiday, and we do so in pretty much the same way that we celebrate half of all the other holidays over the course of the year. Namely, we drink a lot and have parties. For your Cinco de Mayo, consider the following drinks. They may be a touch stereotypical, but if you're going to celebrate a holiday even if it has nothing to do with your own heritage, why not enjoy things on the surface level?
The Classic Margarita
I'll admit, I'm not a big Margarita drinker, but there's a good reason for that. Perhaps no drink has been made more corporate than the Margarita. It comes all too often in a bottled mix that flies in the face of everything that makes cocktails enjoyable. Given the simplicity of the drink, I have no idea why the Margarita experienced such a fate. Instead of consuming a neon-colored monstrosity in a silly, gigantic glass, why not try out this recipe instead?
- 1 ounce of quality tequila
- 1/2 ounce of orange liqueur, i.e. Triple Sec
- 1/3-1/2 ounce of fresh lime juice
Tequila is a drink with a lot character. Unlike vodka, the lower quality varieties of which can be masked with potent mixers, tequila is just too flavorful to cover up. Bad tequila makes a bad Margarita, pure and simple. Don't mix a Margarita with a tequila you wouldn't mind drinking on its own.
If you want to add some color to your Margarita, go for Blue Curacao. It has all of the orange flavor plus a nice, azure tint.
Fresh lime juice makes all the difference in the world. The stuff you'll be drinking in a pre-mixed Margarita is colored, sweetened, preserved lime juice, or lime-flavored ingredients. And hey, limes are cheap, so don't sweat the fresh stuff.
As for the salted rim, skip it unless you're just a big fan of salt. There's no need to distract from the taste of bad ingredients if you're not actually using bad ingredients. Also, don't bother with the silly specialty glasses. Serve this drink either on ice in a rocks glass or up in a standard cocktail glass.
The Sombrero
OK, this is just a fancy name for a Kahlua and Cream, but it's fun to say. Just build an ounce and a half of Kahlua or other coffee liqueur on ice with an ounce to ounce and half of milk or cream. It's a low-alcohol drink with a smooth, sweet flavor. If you'd like to party a little harder at some point in the night, it'll be easy to switch to White Russians by adding some vodka and adjusting the proportions.
The Tequila Sunrise
Whether it's during your Cinco de Mayo party or for the inevitable morning after, the Tequila Sunrise is a sweet, gentle juice cocktail with the added benefit of pretty colors. An ounce of tequila, a half ounce of grenadine and a splash of orange juice (fresh preferred) built on ice is refreshing and carries just a tiny bite.
Happy Cinco de Mayo to everyone on both sides of the border.