Cocktails for Cinco De Mayo: 18 Drinks That Celebrate the Spirit of Mexican Culture

Cinco de Mayo at home doesn't have to mean a pitcher of frozen margaritas and a bag of tortilla chips. The brands and bartenders below sent over the recipes they're pouring this year, and the lineup runs from a smoky mezcal mule to a rosé-mezcal hybrid to a paloma built on bird's eye chili syrup. Mix a few, fire up the flat-top for fajitas or carnitas, and let the backyard sound like a fiesta.

A backyard cocktail party for Cinco de Mayo lands somewhere between a guys night in and a full-on guys night out Mexican fiesta - throw skirt steak or carnitas on the grill, set out a bowl of fresh limes, and let the bar do the heavy lifting. Most of the recipes below come together in a single shaker, none of them require a trip to a specialty store you don't already know about, and the spirits all hold up on their own if you'd rather sip than mix. I'd put the priority on having two or three different tequilas open at once - one blanco, one reposado, one mezcal - so the flavor changes as the night does.

Though I'm a mezcal nerd, I'd truly encourage everyone to do taste tests to see the variations between espadin and its fruiter, more floral cousin, tolbala, for instance, or one of the other more unique varietals you can find in specialty liquor stores these days.

Como La Flor by Tequila Centinela's Salud Bham

Como La Flor is the floral-end-of-the-spectrum tequila cocktail - blanco, elderflower, lime, and rose water with cucumber muddled right in the shaker.

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz blanco tequila
• 1/2 oz elderflower
• 1/2 oz agave
• 3/4 oz lime juice
• Dash rose water
• 3 slices cucumber

Method

1. Build in a shaker tin with the cucumber slices.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and shake well - the cucumber will muddle naturally.
3. Double strain into an old fashioned rocks glass.
4. If you're feeling fancy, rim with rose sugar before pouring and garnish with a dehydrated rose.

Recipe by José Medina Camacho, Beverage Director at Salud.

Bribón Paloma by Tequila Bribón

The paloma is the drink Mexico actually drinks more than the margarita, and Bribón's blanco - bright cantaloupe and pineapple notes with a black pepper finish - was built for it.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Tequila Bribón Blanco
• 2 oz grapefruit juice
• 0.5 oz fresh lime juice
• 0.5 oz agave or simple syrup
• Soda

Method

1. (Optional) Rim a tall glass with a lime wedge and dip in salt.
2. Combine all ingredients except the soda in a shaker with ice and shake vigorously.
3. Strain into a tall glass over fresh ice.
4. Top with soda and garnish.

More on the spirit at Tequila Bribón.

Batanga Spicy Paloma by Batanga Tequila

Batanga's additive-free blanco gets a dose of bird's eye chili simple syrup here, which turns a regular paloma into something that earns the "spicy" label without setting your tongue on fire.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Batanga Tequila Blanco
• 1/2 oz bird's eye chili simple syrup
• 1 oz fresh grapefruit juice
• 3/4 oz fresh lime juice
• 1 oz club soda

Method

1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add tequila, simple syrup, grapefruit juice, and lime juice. Shake well.
2. Rim a glass with a grapefruit wedge and lightly coat with salt.
3. Pour over fresh ice, top with club soda, and garnish with a grapefruit wedge.

Batanga is built by the Orendain family - one of the four founding families of the modern tequila industry - using brick-oven cooked agave. More at Batanga Tequila.

Pocho Fino Margarita by Pocho Fino Tequila

The classic margarita done right - blanco tequila, fresh lime, orange liqueur, and a touch of agave - with the kind of clean agave swagger that makes you wonder why the frozen-mix version exists at all.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Pocho Fino Blanco Tequila
• 1 oz fresh lime juice
• 3/4 oz orange liqueur (triple sec)
• 1/4 oz agave nectar
• Kosher salt (optional, for rim)
• Lime wheel or wedge (garnish)

Method

1. Salt the rim of a rocks glass.
2. Add tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur, and agave to a shaker with ice.
3. Shake until well chilled.
4. Strain over fresh ice into the prepared glass.
5. Garnish with a lime wheel or wedge.

More at Pocho Fino Tequila.

Espolòn Reposado Spicy Margarita by Espolòn Tequila

Equal parts Espolòn Reposado and Ancho Reyes, this is the cocktail that makes the case for keeping a bottle of poblano-chile liqueur on your bar permanently.

Ingredients

• 1 part Espolòn Tequila Reposado
• 1 part Ancho Reyes Original Chile Liqueur
• 3/4 part fresh lime juice
• 1/2 part agave nectar

Method

1. Shake ingredients with plenty of ice.
2. Double strain into a rocks glass rimmed with sea salt or chile-lime salt.
3. Garnish with a lime peel or lime wedge.

More at Espolòn Tequila.

Peach Margarita by Loca Loka Blanco Tequila

Fresh peach juice and a Tajín-rimmed glass take the margarita into summer territory - this is the one I'd serve once the temperature climbs and people start asking for something fruit-forward.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Loca Loka Blanco Tequila
• 1 oz fresh lime juice
• 0.5 oz orange liqueur
• 1.5 oz fresh peach juice
• 0.25 oz simple syrup
• Tajín (for rim)
• Peach slice (garnish)

Method

1. Rim a rocks glass with Tajín.
2. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice.
3. Shake and strain into the rocks glass over fresh ice.
4. Garnish with a peach slice.

More at Loca Loka.

Dulce Vida Grapefruit Margarita by Dulce Vida

This one cheats a little - the grapefruit comes from the tequila itself, an organic infusion - so the cocktail stays clean and citrus-forward without leaning on heavy juice.

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz Dulce Vida Grapefruit Tequila
• 1 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 0.5 oz agave
• 0.75 oz Naranja Orange Liqueur

Method

1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice.
2. Shake and pour over fresh ice.
3. Garnish with a grapefruit wedge.

More at Dulce Vida.

Spicy Margarita by El Guapo Bitters

Layered heat is the play here - ghost pepper tequila, El Guapo Fuego Bitters, and a muddled fresh pepper give the drink three different temperatures of spice, with raspberry liqueur softening the finish.

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz ghost pepper tequila
• 0.5 oz mezcal
• 0.5 oz raspberry liqueur
• 0.25 oz Grand Marnier
• 1 oz lime juice
• 4 fresh raspberries
• 7 dashes El Guapo Fuego Bitters
• Scotch bonnet or other spicy cocktail rim salt
• Hot pepper, sliced
• Additional raspberries and dehydrated lime wheels (garnish)

Method

1. Rim a glass with spicy salt.
2. Slice a hot pepper in half. Rough chop one half and add to a shaker with four raspberries and the lime juice. Muddle well.
3. Add ghost pepper tequila, mezcal, raspberry liqueur, Grand Marnier, and Fuego Bitters.
4. Fill the shaker with ice and shake until cold.
5. Fill the prepared glass with crushed ice and strain the cocktail in.
6. Garnish with the remaining pepper half, raspberries, and dehydrated lime wheels.

More on the bitters at El Guapo Bitters.

El Diablo by Partida

Partida's reposado plus ginger beer plus crème de cassis - it's the highball your buddies didn't know they were going to like more than the margaritas.

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz Partida Reposado Tequila
• 0.5 oz fresh lime juice
• 4 oz ginger beer
• 0.5 oz crème de cassis
• Lime wedge (garnish)

Method

1. Pour tequila and lime juice into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake.
2. Strain into a highball glass with ice.
3. Top with ginger beer and crème de cassis.
4. Garnish with a lime wedge.

More at Partida Tequila.

GAD Mezcal Mule by Gracias a Dios

A mezcal mule trades the bright vodka-and-ginger snap of the original for something earthier - the smoke from the espadín plays against fresh ginger juice, and the result is a backyard-grilling cocktail more than a brunch one.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Gracias a Dios Espadín Mezcal
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 3/4 oz agave syrup
• 3/4 oz ginger juice
• Ginger beer (to top)

Method

1. Stir mezcal, lemon juice, agave syrup, and ginger juice together.
2. Pour over ice in a copper mug or rocks glass.
3. Top with ginger beer.

Gracias a Dios is a 100% Mexican-owned, family-run mezcal producer in Oaxaca. More at Gracias a Dios.

Luna Rosa by Montelobos

The Luna Rosa is the transition cocktail of the list - smoky mezcal balanced against Aperol's bittersweet citrus and a splash of grapefruit and wine, blush-pink and built for a long sunny afternoon.

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz Mezcal Montelobos Espadín
• 0.5 oz Aperol
• 0.5 oz lemon juice
• 0.75 oz grapefruit juice
• 1.5 oz wine

Method

1. Combine ingredients in a shaker with 1 cup of ice.
2. Mix and pour into a glass.
3. Garnish with a pink grapefruit slice.

More at Montelobos.

Rosarita by Rosaluna Mezcal & The Pale Rosé

Equal parts mezcal and rosé wine - it sounds wrong on paper and works in the glass. The smoke from Rosaluna anchors the drink while the rosé keeps it light enough for a backyard pour.

Ingredients

• 1 part Rosaluna Mezcal
• 1 part The Pale Rosé
• 1 part fresh lime juice
• 1/2 part agave nectar
• (Optional) 1/2 part strawberry syrup for a sweeter version
• Salt (rim)
• Lime or fresh strawberry (garnish)

Method

1. Add ingredients to a shaker with ice.
2. Shake and strain into a salt-rimmed glass with fresh ice.
3. Garnish with lime or strawberry.

Aloe? It's Me by Aba

This one takes a weekend - you're infusing mezcal with jalapeño and making a honey syrup before you mix - but it's the cocktail on this list with the most interesting flavor architecture. Green juice, aloe liqueur, and Aleppo pepper hit notes most cocktails never go near.

Ingredients (Cocktail)

• 3/4 oz lime juice
• 1 oz green juice of choice
• 1/2 oz honey syrup (recipe below)
• 1/2 oz Chareau aloe liqueur
• 1.5 oz jalapeño-infused mezcal (recipe below)
• Parsley sprig
• Aleppo pepper

Jalapeño-Infused Mezcal

• 1 (750 ml) bottle mezcal
• 1 jalapeño, halved with seeds

Add the jalapeño to the bottle. Let sit 24 hours, then strain. Use immediately or keep refrigerated.

Honey Syrup

• 1 cup honey
• 1/2 cup water

Combine in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until honey dissolves. Cool and store in an airtight container - keeps refrigerated for up to a month.

Method

1. Add lime juice, green juice, honey syrup, aloe liqueur, and jalapeño-infused mezcal to a shaker.
2. Shake well without ice.
3. Pour over crushed ice in your glass.
4. Garnish with a parsley sprig and a pinch of Aleppo pepper.

Recipe from Aba in Nashville.

Tres Años by Tequila Centinela

Some of the bottles on this list belong in cocktails. This one belongs in a glass by itself. Tres Años is aged over three years in American oak - the first distillery to set up in Arandas, Jalisco back in 1904 - and the wood adds a depth that gets buried in a mixed drink.

How to drink it

• Neat in a snifter or copita - this is the move. Let it sit a minute, then sip slowly.
• On a single large rock if you need it cold, but skip the cocktail shaker.
• In an aged-tequila Old Fashioned if you want a cocktail - 2 oz Tres Años, 1/4 oz agave, 2 dashes orange bitters, stirred over ice with an orange peel. Treat it like a good bourbon.

Centinela bills itself as the "Guardian of True Tequila" and the additive-free, estate-grown agave backs the claim up. This is the bottle to break out for the toast, not the round.

Not Feeling Tequila? Try Smirnoff Spicy Tamarind Vodka

Not everyone at the party drinks agave, and that's where Smirnoff Spicy Tamarind earns its place on the bar. Tamarind is as Mexican as lime - it's in the candy, the agua frescas, the rim salts - and pairing it with chili gives you a flavor profile that lands squarely in the Cinco de Mayo lane without leaning on tequila.

Quick builds for the vodka drinker:

• Spicy Tama-rita - sub Smirnoff Spicy Tamarind for tequila in a basic margarita and rim with Tajín
• Piña Picante - 2 oz Spicy Tamarind, 4 oz pineapple juice, dash of lime over ice
• Tamarind Paloma - 2 oz Spicy Tamarind, 4 oz grapefruit soda, lime squeeze, salted rim

More at Smirnoff Spicy Tamarind.

Pop a Can: Backyard-Ready Picks

Half the value of a backyard fiesta is not being chained to the shaker. Cinco lands on a Sunday-energy holiday where you want to be turning skirt steak, dropping fajita peppers on the flat-top, and refilling a chip bowl - not building rounds for eight people. The canned cocktails below buy you that flexibility.

• Minute Maid Spiked Lime Margarita - flavored-wine RTD with the lime-margarita profile dialed in. Best served cold straight from the cooler. Skips all the prep and lands you straight at "good time."

• 10 Torr Lavender Lemonade - vacuum-distilled vodka with lavender and lemon. Not on the agave path, but a solid lighter pour for anyone tapping out of the spicy-and-smoky lineup mid-afternoon.

Stock a small cooler of these next to the grill and the people not building cocktails will find their way to a drink without anyone having to ask.

Sober-Friendly Doesn't Mean Sitting Out

The non-alcoholic spirits category has come a long way, and Cinco is exactly the kind of holiday where leaving sober friends with a Diet Coke feels like a miss. Fluère Smoked Agave is a 0% ABV mezcal-style spirit from the Netherlands, made from real agave with hickory smoke added - notes of honey, pear, black pepper, and a clean minty finish. It mixes into a Smokey Margarita that holds its own next to anything else on the table:

Smokey Margarita (NA)

• 2 oz Fluère Smoked Agave
• 0.75 oz agave syrup
• 0.5 oz fresh lime juice
• Lime wheel (garnish)

Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish.

Fluère is the one in this article, but it's not the only game in town - Ritual Zero Proof and Lyre's both make agave-style alternatives that build into a respectable margarita or paloma. Stock one bottle alongside your tequila and your sober friends, designated drivers, or anyone tapping out partway through the afternoon stays in the round.

From Backyard Fiestas To Cinco De Mayo Parties - Celebrating Cinco De Mayo Includes A Lot More Diversity Than Just Classic Margaritas and Tequila Shots!

The thing I'd actually do this Cinco - and what I'd tell a buddy texting me asking what to set up - is build the bar around three bottles, not thirty - plus the right bitters, mixers and liqueurs of course. One blanco for margaritas and palomas. One mezcal for the smoky stuff. One unexpected pour, whether that's the Smirnoff Spicy Tamarind for the non-tequila crowd or a Fluère for the sober side. Add a stack of fresh limes, a bottle of Ancho Reyes if you're feeling ambitious, and a cooler of cans for the people who don't want to mix.

That's not a cocktail program. That's a backyard fiesta the guys talk about all summer long!