Get your sombrero and maracas ready – It’s time for Cinco de Mayo! Below are some fun facts about the Fifth of May, as well as some Cinco de Mayo-inspired cocktails you can mix up for your celebration. ¡salud!

• The largest Cinco de Mayo celebration is held in downtown Los Angeles and is referred to as Fiesta Broadway. This event draws more than half a million people to the City of Angels each May.
• Arizona holds a Cinco de Mayo festival where the main attraction consists of dog races featuring 150 Chihuahuas and the crowning of a Chihuahua king and queen. ¡Ay, caramba!
• Americans bought 13.8 million cases of tequila last year.
• On average, Americans consume 185,000 Margaritas per hour. Of course that number increases on May 5.
• The United States consumes twice as much tequila as Mexico, the country where tequila originated.
• Americans consume up to 81 million avocados – guacamole anyone? — on Cinco de Mayo, according to the California Avocado Commission.

Michelada de la Madre

Michelada de la Madre

Courtesy of Jason Eisner, Beverage Director, Gracias Madre

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. Cabotella beer (an organic Blonde Ale from Mexico)
• 2 dashes Habanero bitters
• 1 oz. Fresh pressed lime juice
• 1/4 oz. Worcestershire sauce (Eisner uses a house-made vegan version, but regular is fine)
• 1 Lemon-basil ice cube*
• Spicy salt (an equal mix of smoked salt and chili de arbol powder)
• Lime wedge, for garnish

Preparation: Rim a pint glass with spicy salt. In the bottom of the glass, put your two dashes of bitters, lime juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Slowly pour in your beer. Using a bar spoon, gently lower in lemon-basil ice. Top off the top of the beer with more spicy salt mixture, add a lime wedge for garnish, and serve.

*Lemon Basil Ice Cube

Ingredients:

• 3 Jalapeño peppers
• 1 quart Fresh water
• 1/2 Lemon
• 4 Basil leaves
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste

Preparation: Remove the tops and stems of the jalapeños. Slice remaining part of pepper. Place the water in a blender and add jalapeños, seeds and all. Add the lemon to the blender, peel and all. Add the basil, a pinch of sea salt, and some ground black pepper to taste. Purée in blender until everything is mashed together. Strain through a sieve and pour into large rock trays. Freeze overnight.

The Yuzu and Thai Chili Margarita

The Yuzu and Thai Chili Margarita

Courtesy of Annelise McAuliffe, PAIR Magazine

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Partida reposado tequila
• 1 1/2 oz. Yuzu juice
• 1/2 oz. Triple sec or Cointreau
• 1/2 to 1 oz. Honey (adjust to your preference of sweetness)
• Thai chili salt (Thai chili salt is a mix of crushed dried chili pepper and salt)
• Thai chili pepper, for garnish
• Fresh Thai basil, for garnish

Preparation: Rim the glass with yuzu juice and the chili salt. Shake all the ingredients (except Thai basil, Thai pepper and the salt) with ice in a cocktail shaker until the outside of the shaker is cold. Strain into a glass over rocks, or “up.” Garnish with a Thai chili and fresh Thai basil if desired. Enjoy with the pepper in the drink for great spicy flavor.

Partida Breakfast Margarita

Partida Breakfast Margarita

Courtesy of Jacques Bezuidenhout

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 oz. Partida blanco tequila
• 3/4 oz. Fresh lime juice
• 3/4 oz. Cointreau
• 2 tsp. Orange marmalade
• 1/2 oz. Agave syrup (1 part Partida agave nectar, 1 part water)
• Orange slice, for garnish

Preparation: Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake and strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with an orange slice.

Mexican Standoff

Mexican Standoff

Courtesy of Dan Marohnic

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. 100% Agave tequila
• 1/2 oz. Fresh lime
• 1 dash Grapefruit bitters
• Ginger beer, to fill
• Lime wheel, for garnish

Preparation: Combine all ingredients (sans ginger beer) in a mixing glass with ice, shake vigorously and strain simultaneously with ginger beer over fresh ice. Garnish with a lime wheel.

The Hopster

The Hopster

Courtesy of Dan Marohnic

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. 100% Agave tequila
• 1/2 oz. Fresh lime juice
• 1/2 oz. Simple syrup
• Grapefruit shandy, to fill
• Lime/salted rim, for garnish

Preparation: Combine all ingredients (sans Shandy) in a mixing glass with ice, shake vigorously and strain simultaneously with beer over fresh ice. Garnish using lime to wet rim and salt.

Fig Margarita

Fig Margarita

Courtesy of Horchata New York

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Tequila blanco
• 1 oz. Fig syrup*
• 1/4 oz. Triple sec
• 1/4 oz. Fresh lime

Preparation: Combine all ingredients in a shaker with a scoop of ice. Shake well and strain into a margarita glass, salt on the rim optional.

*Fig Syrup

Ingredients:

• 2 pints Black figs
• 32 oz. Water
• 1 cup Sugar

Preparation: Cut figs in quarters, removing the stems. In a small pot, bring the figs to a boil with the water and sugar, lower the heat and let simmer until the syrup has reduced by half. Strain through a chinois to remove the seeds.

For a Good Thyme

For A Good Thyme

Courtesy of Horchata New York

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Thyme-infused tequila*
• 2 oz. Limonada agua fresca
• 1/2 oz. Agave syrup
• Lime wheel, to garnish

Preparation: Combine all ingredients in a shaker with a scoop of ice. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.

*Thyme-infused Tequila:

Put a bunch of organic, fresh thyme into a tequila bottle and allow it to infuse for a few weeks. If you do not want to use a whole bottle of tequila, you can put a cup or two of tequila in a jar with the fresh thyme and infuse it that way. The longer it sits with the herbs, the more intense the thyme flavor will be. Strain before using.

Partida Raspberry Collins

Partida Raspberry Collins

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 oz. Partida blanco tequila
• 3/4 oz. Fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 oz. Partida organic agave nectar (cut 50/50 with water)
• 8 to 10 Raspberries
• Sparkling water or club soda, to top
• Lemon twist, to garnish
• 2 Raspberries, to garnish

Preparation: Shake all ingredients with ice and strain over fresh ice into a highball glass. Top with sparkling water or club soda. Garnish with a speared lemon twist with two raspberries.

Yerba Buena

Yerba Buena (Tequila Mojito)

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Partida blanco or reposado tequila
• 8 to 10 Mint sprigs
• 3/4 oz. Fresh squeezed lime juice
• 3/4 oz. Agave nectar (cut 50/50 with water)
• Club soda or ginger beer
• Mint sprig, for garnish
• Lime wheel, for garnish

Preparation: Muddle mint, lime juice, and agave nectar in a highball glass. Add ice to fill. Add tequila and top with soda. Stir with bar spoon. Garnish with a mint sprig and lime wheel.

Bloody Maria

Bloody Maria

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Partida reposado tequila
• 1 Lemon wedge
• Ground black pepper
• 6 drops Tabasco hot pepper sauce
• 8 drops Worcestershire sauce
• 1 pinch Celery salt
• 1 tsp. Ground horseradish
• 2 tsp. Fresh lime juice
• 8 oz. Tomato juice
• Lemon wedge, for garnish
• Cherry tomatoes, for garnish

Ingredients: Rub the lemon wedge along the rim of a highball glass and discard. Coat the rim with black pepper. Add the remaining ingredients and fill with ice. Stir, and garnish with another lemon wedge and skewered cherry tomatoes.