Where & How To Spend Your Cinco de Mayo In NYC
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If Easter is the Christmas of spring, then Cinco de Mayo may be its New Year’s Eve: the peppy follow-up event characterized by booze, dance music, colorful streamers, and parties that rage on long after the sun folds into the Hudson. Every fifth of May, New Yorkers rally to celebrate Mexican culture through food, music, and — most notably — drinks. While mass intoxication isn’t exactly the reason for the season, it’s certainly enticing.
This year in NYC, May’s liveliest holiday takes flight with rooftop parties, taco-tasting competitions, a live donkey, and enough drink deals to keep you dancing through the weekend. Check out all the fun happening in NYC and some fun recipes you can enjoy and prepare at home.
WHERE
The Patrón Margarita Tower NYC
To celebrate Cinco De Mayo this year, Patrón has created The Patrón Margarita Tower: an over-the-top $500 DIY margarita experience available for a limited time at Toro Loco in NYC.
In addition to a ton of tequila, each tower comes with caviar, truffled sea salt and more incredible garnishes. It’s available now through Monday 5/6 and serves 5.
Bodega Negra
Celebrity favored Mexican eatery Bodega Negra, known for its extensive taco list, street food tower and Don Huevo dessert will be launching a new face-melting taco — Habanero Hot Box — on May 1 in honor of Cinco de Mayo; 2 tacos — $8 each.
Served in a glass cloche and smoked with Applewood tableside, Executive Chef Brad Warner utilizes four types of chilies (i.e. Habanero, Jalapeño, Chile de árbol, Chipotle) — both fresh, dried and smoked — to create a slow heat taco that embodies the rich and complex flavor profiles in each bite. The Habanero Hot Box is complete with four types of cheeses such as, Oaxaca, Chihuahua, Goat Cheese, Queso Fresco and topped with Jalapeno Chorizo, Chile Salsa, Chipotle Salsa, Habanero Crema and Cotija Cheese.
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal’s shops and restaurants will be celebrating Cinco de Mayothroughout the first week of May with festive retail and food offerings. The Bar at Great Northern Food Hall will have special Dulce Vida margaritas and a four-beer bucket of Bronx Brewery Que Milagro Mexican-style lager, available May 4 and May 5.
La Chula will be serving special Taco de Carnitas, made with braised pork for $4.25 from May 3 to May 5; and Central Cellars is celebrating with Don Julio Claro Anejo 70th Anniversary tequila for $74.94, available for taking shots or mixing margaritas.
Blueberry Margarita — Ed’s Lobster Bar, Soho
Ingredients:
2 oz. Espolon Blanco Tequila
1.5 oz lime juice
1.5 oz. blueberry juice
¾ oz. simple syrup
Blueberry Juice Directions:
Mix 1 pint of blueberries, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of water in a sauce pot. Heat on high to soften the berries. Pass the berries through a strainer and chill.
Blueberry Margarita Directions:
Pour all ingredients in a shaker filled with ice. Strain into a glass with crushed ice. Makes on cocktail.
White Margarita — Aunt Jake’s, Greenwich Village & Little Italy
In a shaker combine:
2oz Tequila
1oz fresh squeezed lime juice
.5oz Cointreau
.5oz Heavy Cream
.5oz Coco Lopez
Add ice to shaker and shake away. Strain into a rocks glass with crushed ice, garnish with grated lime peel and cranberries on top.
Watermelon Margarita — Egg Shop, Nolita & Williamsburg
To make one cocktail:
2 oz. tequila blanco
½ oz. fresh lime juice
4 pieces watermelon (1-inch cubes)
½ oz. agave
In an ice-filled cocktail shaker, combine all ingredients. Shake hard and pour dirty. Salted rims are optional, but this one is great with a Tajín rim as well. (Tip: for a more tropical experience use blue Curaçao in place of the agave, pink becomes purple).
HOW
THE ORIGINAL (OG) MARGARITA
INGREDIENTS FOR The OG MARGARITA:
1 oz Cointreau
2 oz blanco tequila
1 oz fresh lime juice
HOW TO MAKE THE OG MARGARITA
Combine all ingredients in a shaker and add ice. Shake and strain into a salt-rimmed rocks glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.
GINGER MINT MARGARITA
INGREDIENTS FOR GINGER MINT MARGARITA:
1 oz Cointreau
2 oz Blanco Tequila
0.75 oz Fresh Lime Juice
2 slices Fresh Ginger Root
5 Mint leaves
HOW TO MAKE THE GINGER MINT MARGARITA
Muddle the ginger and mint in the bottom of a shaker.Add the remaining ingredients with ice and shake. Fine strain over ice in a rocks glass.Garnish with a mint sprig.
THE BERRY MARGARITA
INGREDIENTS FOR The SPICYMARGARITA:
1 oz Cointreau
1.5 oz Blanco Tequila
0.25 oz Fresh Lime Juice
3 Blackberries
HOW TO MAKE THE SPICY MARGARITA
Shake all ingredients with ice. Fine-strain over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with blackberries.
CASA BELLINI
1 oz. Casamigos Blanco Tequila
1 oz. Peach Puree by PerfectPuree
2 Red Raspberries
Top off with Chilled Prosecco or Champagne
Method: Combine all ingredients into a tin shaker, except Prosecco. Muddle fruit and add ice. Shake vigorously for a few seconds and strain into champagne flute. Top off with chilled prosecco or champagne. Garnish with 1 raspberry through a skewer.
MEXICAN NEGRONI
1 oz. Casamigos Blanco Tequila
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. Italian Sweet Vermouth
Casamigos Mezcal Rinse
1 Large Orange Peel
Method: Combine all ingredients into a glass mixer. Add ice and stir quickly for 30–40 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass that has been rinsed with mezcal and add one large block of ice. Garnish with a large orange peel.
SMOKY CASA MARGARITA
2 oz. Casamigos Mezcal
1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
.75 oz. Agave Nectar
2 Dashes Orange Bitters
Flamed Orange Peel
Method: Combine all ingredients into a tin shaker then add ice and shake well. Strain into a rocks glass and add fresh ice. Garnish with a flamed orange peel.
The Spicy Cilantro Mezcal
- 2 oz Sacrvm mezcal
- 3/4 oz agave syrup
- 1/2 oz Rosemary clorofila juice
- 1 oz Fresh lime juice
- fresh orange, cucumber, cilantro, jalapeño, green apple.
Glass rim: spicy cricket and jalapeño salt
MI CAMPO PURO
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Mi CAMPO Reposado or Blanco Tequila
- Seasonal Citrus Wedges
- Savory Sweet Salts
Method: Enjoy Mi CAMPO Blanco or Reposado Tequila neat or as a shot with citrus wedges and a variety of salts. Experiment with seasonal citrus such as blood orange, meyer lemon, and tangerine. Explore complex combinations with savory salts like ginger, habanero, or lavender balanced with sweet sugar rims such as cinnamon, coconut, or vanilla.
Mi CAMPO CAZUELA
Ingredients:
- 1½ oz Tequila Mi CAMPO Blanco
- ½ oz Chile Liqueur
- ½ oz Fresh Lemon Juice
- 2 dashes Orange Bitters
- 3 oz Grapefruit Soda
Instructions:
Measure and pour Tequila Mi CAMPO Blanco, Chile liqueur, lemon juice and bitters over ice, then stir. Top with grapefruit soda, then garnish with speared grapefruit, lime and orange wheels.
BACARDÍ Lime
BACARDÍ Lime Shot with Beer
Ingredients:
· 12 parts Beer
· 1 part BACARDÍ Lime
Method: Pour beer in a glass. Pour BACARDÍ Lime flavored rum in a shot glass then pour into the beer.
AVIÓN ROSÉ MARG
1 1/2 Parts Avión Silver
1/2 Part Fresh Lemon
1/2 Part Fresh Lime
1/2 Part Agave Nectar
Rose
Directions: Combine all ingredients, shake vigorously, and strain in Collins glass with crushed ice. Top off with rosé.
PASSION FRUIT MARGARITA
2 Parts Avión Silver
1 Part Fresh Lime Juice
1 Part Agave Nectar
1/2 Part of Passion Fruit Liqueur
Directions: Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Double strain over fresh ice in a tumbler glass. Garnish with lime.
SPICY CUCUMBER MARGARITA
2 Parts Avión Silver
1 Fresh Lime Juice
1 Part Agave Nectar
Slices of Cucumber & Jalapeño
Directions: Muddle 1–2 thin slices of jalapeño pepper in the bottom of a cocktail shaker with the lime and agave nectar juices. Add the tequila and a handful of ice. Shake and strain into a margarita glass over ice. Garnish with thinly sliced cucumbers and jalapeños.
AVION PEACH MARGARITA
2 parts Avión Silver
2 parts peach puree
1 part lime juice
½ part agave nectar
Directions: Combine all ingredients in a blender with ice and blend until smooth. Pour over fresh ice and garnish with a peach wedge.
WATERMELON MARGARITA
2 parts Avión Silver
2 parts fresh lime juice
1 part agave nectar
Sliced watermelon
Directions: Muddle watermelon with agave nectar in a mixing glass. Combine the remaining ingredients and shake vigorously with ice. Fine-strain into a chilled rocks glass with watermelon garnish
Organic Copper Pot Margarita
Cinco de Mayo is best celebrated with a refreshing margarita, and Miami Cocktail Co.’s Small Batch Original Organic Copper Pot Margarita is the most tasty, not to mention convenient, way to party in style this year.
Miami Cocktail Co.’s gourmet pre-batched organic cocktails are a delicious way to #drinkclean. Made with real, honest & authentic ingredients, this drink doesn’t just taste like a margarita, it is a margarita. It’s like having a bartender in a bottle!
