Before we get to the part where I share some tasty cocktails you can enjoy on Cinco de Mayo, let's chat a little bit about the holiday. Cinco de Mayo, celebrated on the 5th of May every year, commemorates the Mexican army’s defeat of the French in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. In Mexico, it's not really a major holiday, but somehow in the United States it has morphed more into a celebration of all things Mexican. A lot of people who celebrate the holiday in the US are not Mexican, and many have no idea that it has anything to do with a battle that happened in the Mexican state of Puebla. Instead, many use it as an opportunity to enjoy Mexican food and cocktails, because YUM and GLUG-GLUG-GLUG! The holiday is even referred to as Cinco de Drinko because it's an excuse to get boozy.
More from MamásLatinas: Delicious Mexican drinks to try today
Listen, I'm not here to judge you if you want to enjoy an adult beverage or two on Cinco de Mayo. Instead, I'd like to suggest that if you are going to enjoy a boozy drink, consider something other than Mexican beer and margaritas. Not that there is anything wrong with either, just that if we are going to celebrate Mexican culture on Cinco de Mayo, then maybe let's go beyond the familiar. Try any of these eight drinks this Cinco de Mayo and toast to the beauty of Mexican culture. And porfa, remember to drink responsibly!
A spicy tama-rita, anyone?
This is Smirnoff’s take on the classic margarita!
Ingredients:
1½ oz. Smirnoff Spicy Tamarind
¾ oz. lime juice
1 oz. orange liqueur
1 cup ice
Chili lime salt and lime wheel
Preparation: Rim a glass with chili lime salt. Combine Smirnoff Spicy Tamarind, fresh lime juice, and orange liqueur in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a lime wheel.
The 'maid in Scotland' is like a cucumber margarita, but with scotch whiskey.
Ingredients:
1½ oz. The Singleton, 12 Years Old
¾ oz. lime juice
½ oz. simple syrup
3 slices cucumber
3 to 4 mint leaves
Ice
Preparation: Add all ingredients into a shaker. Gently muddle the cucumber and mint. Add ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass and garnish with some fresh cucumber slices and mint leaves.
If you enjoy spicy drinks, you'll surely love the jalapeño rock!
The jalapeño rock combines Buchanan’s Deluxe, red grapefruit, agave, and a finishing touch that infuses every sip with smoke and spice.
Ingredients:
1½ oz. Buchanan’s Deluxe
¾ oz. Ruby Red grapefruit juice
½ oz. lime juice
½ oz. agave nectar
2 to 3 oz. club soda
Garnish: Lemon and salt rim (salt, smoked paprika, chili)
Preparation: Mix all ingredients, except the club soda, in a shaker over ice. Pour over ice in a tall glass, top with club soda. Rim glass with lemon, then rim glass with salt mixture.
Instead of your usual margarita, have a paloma.
In the US, pretty much every Mexican restaurant you go to that serves beer will offer margaritas on their drinks menu, and they are very popular. In Mexico, margaritas are less popular than palomas. Palomas are also a tequila cocktail, like margaritas, but they are usually made with lime and grapefruit soda.
Turn your beer into a michelada.
A michelada is a beer that's been mixed with lime, all kinds of mouthwatering sauces like chamoy, and chile. You can make them from scratch, or you can even buy a mix that you just add beer to, if you want to go the super-easy route.
Or how about a beer margarita?
Basically, it's a margarita that you infuse with beer. It's like the best of both worlds, and also, having a beer sticking out of your margarita glass makes you feel some kind of special. It's a whole vibe.
Have you ever had a dirty horchata?
What makes an horchata dirty? The addition of rum, of course. You can make your own horchata at home or buy some and simply add rum to it. Either way, if you are a fan of Mexican horchata, this might become one of your favorite adult beverages.
Vampiros Mexicanos are bloody good!
A vampiro Mexicano is another tequila-based cocktail. It gets its vampire name because it uses "sangrita," which is reddish in color and gives the drink a bloody appearance. It's a refreshing drink that has a bit of kick to it.
