CELEBRATE CINCO DE MAYO WITH A TEQUILA COCKTAIL RECIPES…
Every chance for a celebration is good in my books especially if it involves tequila cocktail recipes and Mexican food. You might wonder what is Cinco de Mayo, well according to our friends in Wikipedia, it commemorates the Mexican Army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza.
You might be surprised to learn that Cinco de Mayo is actually celebrated more in the United States than in Mexico. It is associated with the celebration of the Mexican-American culture. Cinco de Mayo is mistaken with Mexico’s Independent Day celebrated on September 16, commemorating the Cry of Dolores that initiated the war of Mexican independence from Spain.
And after the history lesson above, let’s move to the fun part of this celebratory day, T E Q U I L A. Tequila has been my drink of choice since my college years. Getting older though, I traded the tequila shots for sophisticated tequila cocktails. A frozen margarita is my favorite cocktail, but I love trying concoctions. Margarita Sangria is my go-to cocktail for gathering with friends at home. Below, I gathered five tequila cocktail recipes to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Viva Mexico!
TEQUILA COCKTAIL RECIPES TO CELEBRATE CINCO DE MAYO
HONEY THYME MARGARITAS
Ingredients
- 1 ½ oz silver tequila
- ½ oz orange liqueur, like Cointreau
- ¾ oz freshly squeezed lime juice
- ½ oz honey thyme syrup
- ¾ oz freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
- coarse sea salt, to rim serving glass
Honey Thyme Syrup:
- ½ cup of water
- 6 3-inch sprigs fresh thyme
- ½ cup of liquid honey
Instructions
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add tequila, lime juice, grapefruit juice, orange liqueur, and syrup. Shake well until well chilled. Strain into a salt-rimmed serving glass.
HOW TO MAKE HONEY THYME SYRUP
Add water, honey, and thyme to a heavy-bottomed saucepot. Bring to a simmer until the honey has dissolved. Remove from heat and let thyme steep for 30 minutes. Strain out thyme. Transfer syrup to an airtight container and keep at room temperature.
source: The Little Epicurean
PASSION FRUIT & PINEAPPLE MARGARITAS
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh pineapple
- ½ cup pineapple or passion fruit juice
- 1 cup fresh lime juice
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- ice
- 1 ½ cup cups tequila
- ½ cup orange liqueur
- 1 bottle champagne
- ½ cup passion fruit pulp (approximately 4-5 passion fruit)
- mint, pineapple wedges, fresh lime – to garnish
- 2 Tbsp salt
- 2 Tbsp white or brown sugar
Instructions
Add the fresh pineapple, pineapple juice (or passion fruit juice if you can find it), lime juice, and fresh lemon juice to the bowl of a large blender. Process until combined. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh strainer and transfer to a large pitcher filled with ice. Add the tequila, orange liqueur, and passion fruit pulp to the pitcher and stir to combine. In a small bowl combine the salt and the sugar. Run a lime wedge around the entire rim of the desired number of glasses and rim each glass with the salt and sugar mix. Divide margarita mixture between 6-8 glasses filled with ice, leaving room to fill with champagne. When ready to serve, top with champagne and garnish with fresh mint, pineapple wedges, and fresh lime, if desired.
source: The Forked Spoon
SUMMERTIME ROSE TEQUILA SANGRIA
Ingredients
- 1 bottle Rosé
- 1 cup silver tequila
- 2 cups fresh strawberries hulled + halved
- 1 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/3-2/3 cup agave nectar depending on your taste
- 1 cup sliced peaches
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 2-3 limes sliced
- 1 cup fresh pitted cherries and or watermelon
- original flavored kombucha or sparkling water for topping
- basil for garnish
Instructions
In a large pitcher, combine all the ingredients except the sparkling water (or kombucha) and basil. Stir, gently to combine and then place in the fridge until chilled. To serve, give the sangria a good stir, then fill each glass with ice and pour the sangria over the ice. Top with sparkling water or kombucha. Garnish with basil and edible flowers. Drink up!
source: Half Baked Harvest
MINTY WATERMELON CUCUMBER MARGARITAS
Ingredients
- 2-3 cups cubed watermelon
- 6 slices English cucumber skin removed, about half of the cucumber
- 4 ounces white agave tequila
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed lime juice
- 2-3 tablespoon agave nectar or to taste
- 6-8 leaves fresh mint
- slices watermelon and fresh mint for serving
Instructions
In a blender, combine the watermelon, cucumber, tequila. lime juice and agave. Blend until completely smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer. Add the mint to the bottom of two glasses and muddle the mint using a muddler or the bottom of a rolling pin. Fill the glass with crushed ice and pour the watermelon mix over the ice. Gently stir to combine. Garnish each glass with a watermelon wedge and fresh mint leaf. DRINK!
source: Half Baked Harvest
CILANTRO-INFUSED SPICY JALAPENO MARGARITAS
Ingredients
- 12 ounces Powell & Mahoney Spicy Jalapeno Margarita Mix (instructions without the Powell & Mahoney mixer is in the notes below)
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped – plus more for garnishing
- 1 cup ice
- 6 ounces tequila (such as Jose Cuervo)
- 1 lime, sliced for garnishing
- 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced thinly as a garnish
- salt, for the rim of the glasses
Instructions
Place the margarita mix and cilantro leaves in a large mason jar (or a mixing bowl), cover, and let it steep for 2 hours. Drain and discard the cilantro leaves. If you prefer, moisten the rim of your cocktail glasses with some lime and dip them in a plate of salt. Set them aside. Place the now “infused” margarita mix in a cocktail shaker along with tequila and ice. Shake and strain over fresh ice. Garnish with a lime, slices of jalapeno pepper, and a few fresh cilantro leaves.
Notes: You can make your own mixer for this Jalapeno Margarita recipe. To do so, mix together 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice along with 1/4 cup simple syrup. This would be perfect for 4 servings.
To infuse your homemade mixer with jalapeno and cilantro, place the lime juice and simple syrup mixture into a mason jar. Add one small sliced jalapeno (with the seeds) and cilantro leaves. Let it sit for 2 hours or longer if you like it spicier.
source: Foolproof Living
