Admittedly, I have been late making preparations for this year’s Cinco de Mayo. To my excuse, it is not a holiday that is widely celebrated in Europe.
Originally, Cinco de Mayo (the 5th of May) is celebrated in Mexico to commemorate the victory of the Mexican Army over the French in the Battle of Puebla on the 5th of May 1862; even though the French ultimately defeated the Mexicans a year later. Today the day is mostly celebrated to remember good times and memories shared with your family and friends.
Furthermore, Cinco de Mayo today is also widely celebrated in the US, where it is now almost more popular then in Mexico. In the case of the US, however, the day is celebrated in honour of Mexican-American culture rather than its original reason.
Nevertheless, around the world more and more people are now making a habit to prepare special Cinco de Mayo cocktails on the 5th of May, regardless where they live.
With just few days left, I started searching for some interesting cocktails to throw my own Cinco de Mayo celebrations.
Typically, the most popular drink enjoyed on Cinco de Mayo is the famous Margarita, served with chips, salsa, tacos and fresh guacamole.
If you have never made a Margarita at home, using the original recipe it is quite easy to prepare.
Rub the rim of a glass with a slice of lime, then roll the rim in salt. In a shaker, put 60 ml tequila, 30 ml lime juice and 30 ml Cointreau. Shake with ice and pour the glass prepared with the salt.
That said, there are now literally hundreds of variations of margaritas. Plus, you can use the basic ingredients to prepare some innovative desserts as well. To get some ideas, check out my post Top 5 Margarita recipes for National Margarita Day that are not only drinks.
For this year’s Cinco de Mayo, obviously celebrated observing social distancing, I was looking for something nice and easy yet special as I did not plan to make different versions.
One cocktail I’ve not come across before particularly caught my interest: The Spicy Pink Paloma.
Like the classic Margarita, it is based on tequila and apparently it is very popular in Mexico.
The Spice Pink Paloma is indeed a really refreshing drink, and it is a great easy-to-make cocktail to be enjoyed on a warm summer evening.
Like any other cocktail, there are various version of the Spicy Pink Paloma. I found the one below quite easy to make and you should be able to find all you need at your local grocery store.
Spicy Pink Paloma
For one glass:
45 ml tequila
60 ml grapefruit juice
2 limes squeezed
Grapefruit soda
Ice cubes
Chilli flakes
Sea salt
Lime and grapefruit wedges to garnish
To make the Spicy Pink Paloma:
Rub the rim of a cocktail class with a lime wedge and rub the rim in sea salt.
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Add tequila, grapefruit juice and lime juice. Shake well, strain into the cocktail glass and top off with grapefruit soda.
Garnish with the lime and grapefruit wedges and sprinkle with some chilli flakes.
Do you celebrate Cinco de Mayo? What are your favourite Cinco de Mayo cocktails and foods?
Carrots and Tigers 
Looks great!!
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