It's an American holiday ... really!
Much like St. Patrick's Day, which became an excuse for drunken debauchery in the U.S. while back home in Ireland it's a day when people go to church to honor their country's patron saint, the holiday of Cinco de Mayo is not a big deal in Mexico. It's not their Independence Day, which too many people have mistaken it for, that's September 16th.
Quote :
"Mexican Independence Day is a major celebration in Mexico and is bigger than Cinco de Mayo." from this website :
http://www.presidiolabahia.org/mex_ind.htm
How do I know? I lived down in Mexico for about six months working on a construction project. And believe me, these people love to party.
Cinco de Mayo was reinvented into an excuse to drink tequila & Mexican beer by American marketers for the importers of major brands like Corona, Cuervo, Sauza, Dos Equiis, Tecate, etc.
Not that I'm against the idea ... hey, you'll definitely see me with a frozen mango margarita after work today
Did someone say "Shots"?
If you're into doing tequila shots and want to try something different, order a round of "banderas" (translation is "flag" in Spanish) which is actually three shots lined up. This will not only impress your friends & the "senioritas", it will test the skills of even the most seasoned bartenders & mixologists.
The Mexican flag is red, white, and green so the shots are the same colors.
The three are "sangrita / tequila / lime juice" and you are supposed to drink them all three in that order. Now the hard part is finding a non-Mexican bartender that knows what the f*ck "sangrita is. Here in NYC most Mexican restaurants have pre-mixed patched of the stuff ready made every day. But those of you up north may want to jot this down :
Sangrita with Three Juices
Serves about 8
1 cup tomato juice
Juice of 3 limes
Juice of 2-3 oranges
Minced fresh green chiles
(serranos or jalapenos) or hot salsa to taste
Salt to taste
The recipe's from this website if you want to know more :
http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/kgk/2000/0500/completo.html
You'll notice that sangrita has hot chile peppers as part of the mix. Everything they eat in Mexico has hot peppers in it ... get used to it. But following that with a tequila is not for the faint of heart. But at least you get to cool off with raw lime juice at the end. Believe me ... it really does work. It takes the "bite" out of the tequila. Just make sure it's actual lime juice and not some concentrate or sour mix crap. "Rose's Lime Juice" is the best brand.
And if you find a place that has a mariachi band, or even just one guy with a guitar singing, here's another way to impress people. Don't request a song like "Tequila" or ask to hear "La Cucaracha" ... that stuff is for the "gringos". (And don't even
think about that stupid Abba song "Fernando" for chsissake!)
Request the song "Cerveza Rosa" (Red Beer in Spanish). It's a favorite Mexican folk song that you may actually recognize. American artists have done covers of the tune under a different name ... it's sometimes called "Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White". The Fabulous Thunderbirds (a band with Stevie Ray Vaughn's brother on lead) did a great version of that one back in the 80's.
So "Salud" and "Vive Mexico" ... go out & enjoy "Cinco de Drinko" as me & my friends like to call it. And don't forget your "sombrero de gomma" in case you get lucky.
What's that? The translation is "rubber hat" ... I'm sure you can figure out the rest
