5 Easy Cocktails to Make for Cinco De Mayo
Cinco De Mayo Cocktail Ideas
Cinco de Mayo, to many Americans, is a day to celebrate Mexico and its victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. We tend to do this by copiously ingesting the country’s most famous spirit, tequila, as well as other Mexican spirits, beer and mixers!
VS Liquor has compiled a few of our favorite Cinco De Mayo cocktails to make your celebration appropriately festive in preparation for the holiday.
The Classic Margarita
You can never go wrong with the classic Margarita - it’s a fan favorite! Not only is it delicious, but it’s also incredibly easy to make. Combining the tang of lime and the sweetness of orange liqueur alongside a high quality tequila (we recommend blanco tequila) and margarita mix makes for the perfect cocktail. Here are the ingredients and instructions:
Ingredients
- 2 oz blanco tequila
- ½ oz orange liqueur
- 1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
- ½ ounce agave syrup
Instructions
- Fill cocktail shaker bottle with ice
- Add tequila of your choice, orange liqueur, lime juice and agave to cocktail shaker (to make spicy, add sliced raw jalapenos with seeds)
- Shake until ingredients are well chilled
- Garnish with a lime wheel and kosher salt on rim
- Sip, enjoy!
The Paloma
Another Mexico favorite, the Paloma! This refreshing, easy-to-make cooler cocktail includes tequila (we recommend another blanco tequila) lime juice and grapefruit soda. You can also use a lightly aged reposado, but stay away from the well-aged tequilas for this one.
Ingredients
- 2 oz of tequila of your choice (we recommend blanco or reposado)
- ½ ounce of freshly squeezed lime juice
- Grapefruit soda
Instructions
- Rub a lime around the rim of your favorite glass, and dip rim in salt or tajin (whatever you prefer)
- Fill glass with ice, and then add tequila and lime juice
- Top with grapefruit soda and stir
- Garnish with a lime wheel
- Sip and enjoy!
Michelada
This can catch a few people off guard if they’re unfamiliar with Mexican culture. Our advice? Don’t knock this ‘till you try it! The Michelada is similar to a Bloody Mary styled drink but made with beer instead of vodka. There is an array of recipes for this one depending on your preference of spice, tomato juice etc. But, here is how we like to make our Micheladas in San Diego!
Ingredients
- 8 to 12 oz of your favorite lite Mexican beer (Corona, Sol, Tecate, Modelo)
- 4 oz Clamato juice
- 1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
- Splash of Worcestershire sauce
- Splash of soy sauce
- Splash of hot sauce of your choice (we recommend tabasco)
Instructions
- Rub a lime around the rim of your favorite glass, and dip rim in salt or tajin (whatever you prefer)
- Fill a large glass with ice and set aside
- Add in your Worcestershire and soy sauce
- Add in hot sauce and lime juice
- Pour in your light Mexican beer
- Top with clamato juice
- Stir, sip and enjoy!
Naked & Famous
Calling all mezcal lovers- this one’s for you! This modern classic is another simple, yet delicious cocktail consisting of only three ingredients.
Ingredients
- ¾ ounce of mezcal
- ¾ ounce Aperol
- ¾ ounce yellow Chartreuse
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
Instructions
- Add ALL ingredients into a cocktail shaker bottle with ice
- Shake well until all ingredients are chilled
- Pour into a martini glass
- Sip, and enjoy!
Ranch Water
There’s a new cocktail ready to take over this famous holiday - the Ranch Water! This cocktail originated out of West Texas (Tex Mex) and is another simple, refreshing, festive cocktail for Cinco De Mayo!
Ingredients
- Tequila of your choice (the better the tequila, the better the drink!)
- Freshly squeezed lime juice
- Topo Chico Mineral water (die hard’s of this drink claim it’s not ranch water unless you use this ingredient specifically)
Instructions
- Place two shots of tequila in a glass (3oz)
- Pour in freshly squeezed lime juice (1 ½ oz)
- Add in ice
- Top it off with Topo Chico