It’s Cinco de Mayo time, which means it’s time to have a few cocktails. The 5th of May falls on a Friday this year, providing the perfect excuse to have a few friends over to celebrate with a few cocktails. While the first drink that comes to mind might be a traditional margarita, there are a ton of awesome cocktails out there of the tequila and mescal variety that can make for an excellent party drink. Serve one (or a few) of these at your Cinco party, sit back, and let the compliments start rolling in.
Caballo Blanco
From The Dorsey in The Venetian Las Vegas
Ingredients:
1.5 oz. El Tesoro Tequila
0.5 oz. Del Maguey Vida Mezcal
1 oz. pineapple juice
0.5 oz. lime juice
0.75 oz. ginger juice
2 dashes of Angostura bitters
Directions: Shake together and pour into a collins glass. Top w/ club soda. Garnish with candied ginger.
Clarified Avocado Margarita
Created by San Francisco Mixologist Leon Vazquez
Ingredients:
16 oz. Tequila Don Julio 70 Añejo Claro
6 oz. Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
4 oz. Simple Syrup
30 dashes Orange Bitters
1 Avocado
2 Serrano Peppers
1 Bushel of Cilantro (Approximately 40 leaves)
6 tablespoons Salt
40 oz. Whole Milk
Lime Twist for Garnish
Directions: Combine 4 ounces lime juice, simple syrup, orange bitters, avocado, peppers and cilantro into an airtight container. Coarsely grind the peppers, avocado and cilantro. Add 14 ounces boiling water and immediately cover so that no liquid evaporates. Let mixture sit overnight, then strain the mixture into a clean container and add Tequila Don Julio 70 Añejo Claro.
Bring whole milk to a boil. Add the boiling milk and the remaining 2 ounces of lime juice to the strained mixture; the milk will curdle. Strain the liquid slowly with cheesecloth. Pour liquid into a clean container, cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve neat with a lime twist.
Afternoon in Jalisco
Created by New York City Mixologist Christopher Reyes
Ingredients:
1.5 oz. Don Julio 70 Añejo Claro
.25 oz. Absinthe
1 oz Ginger Beer
.75 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
.75 oz. Fresh Pineapple Juice
.75 oz. Simple Syrup
Candied Ginger and Lemon Wheel for Garnish
Directions: Combine Tequila Don Julio 70, fresh lime juice, fresh pineapple juice, simple syrup and absinth in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain contents over ice into a highball glass. Top with house ginger beer and garnish with candied ginger and lemon wheel.
Seymour Station
Bartender Laura Kruming (Sable Kitchen & Bar, Chicago) created this earthy, funky margarita riff with muddled cherry tomatoes “immune system boosting” aloe vera pearls.
Ingredients:
1.5 oz. Suerte Blanco Tequila
.25 oz. Chareau Aloe Liqueur
.75 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
Pinch of Salt
2 Cherry Tomatoes, muddled
Pinch of Aloe Vera Pearls
Directions: Shake all ingredients and strain into a footed ale glass over ice and aloe vera pearls. Optional: Garnish with a watermelon rind.
Angry-rita
Ingredients:
4 oz. Angry Orchard Crisp Apple
1 oz. Blanco Tequila
0.5 oz. Grenadine
0.5 oz. Lime Juice
Dash of Angostura Bitters
Directions: Combine all ingredients except for cider in a cocktail shaker and shake. Pour into rocks glass with ice and top with Angry Orchard Crisp Apple. Garnish with a lime wheel.
Cointreau Margarita Mule
Ingredients:
1 oz. Cointreau
2 oz. blanco tequila
1 oz. fresh lime juice
ginger beer
Directions: Shake Cointreau, tequila, and fresh lime juice in a shaker with ice. Strain over ice in a rocks glass with a salt rim. Top with ginger beer and garnish with candied ginger.
Sotol Square
Bartender Patrick Natola (Sable Kitchen & Bar, Chicago) created this spicy margarita riff with Sotol—a refreshing departure from Tequila and spiced-salt for an extra punch of flavor. The cocktail is light, crisp and has notes of fresh spring vegetables.
Ingredients:
2 oz. Sotol
.75 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
.75 oz. House-made Cucumber Syrup
Dropper Hellfire Shrub
Directions: Shake all ingredients with ice, strain and serve up in a coupe. Garnish with spiced-salt cucumber wheel on rim
Cointreau Matcha Margarita
Ingredients:
1 oz. Cointreau
2 oz. blanco tequila
.75 oz. fresh lime juice
Half bar spoon (1 tsp) matcha green tea powder
Directions: Shake Cointreau, tequila, fresh lime juice and matcha in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain over ice in a rocks glass and garnish with a lime wheel.
Tamarind Paloma
Chef Lauro Romero, TD’s Pop Up @ Three Degrees (Portland, OR) created this Paloma riff with tamarind, a tree fruit packed with sweet/sour flavors, commonly found in Mexican and Asian cuisine. Tamarind is known for medicinal benefits like aiding indigestion, heart health, joint inflammation and more. He also serves it in a clay drinking vessel, a throwback to his childhood in Mexico.
Ingredients:
1.5 oz. of Vida Mescal
4 oz. Tamarind Base**
Grapefruit Soda
Directions: Shake first two ingredients vigorously over ice (shake quite a bit); strain into Salt Rim Clay Pot filled with ice and top with soda. Bruleed grapefruit garnish.
Tamarind Base:
2 oz. seeded tamarind paste
.25 cup fresh lime juice
.25 cup sugar
1 cup fresh grapefruit juice
Directions: Combine all ingredients in blender and puree until smooth. Strain through a chinois.