Wednesday, May 5, 2010

The 5th of May

Raise your hand if today's agenda includes (1) imbibing enough tequila to fill Lake Pontchartrain,(2) eating a bucket of chili con queso, (3) an oversized sombrero, and (4) a samba line to "Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot."

Happy Cinco de Mayo.

But a bit of background before we start licking salt and sucking limes. Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day (which is September 16th), but a celebration commemorating the Mexican Army's victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla. In Mexico, Cinco de Mayo celebrations are mostly limited to Puebla and border towns full of gringos.

Who cares? In New Orleans it's just another reason to throw a party, and plenty of restaurants are getting in on the action. Superior Grill will undoubtedly be bursting with people lined up for 6 deep at the bar, as will Chevy's, Cuco's, Serrano's, and the like. Taqueria Corona, Nacho Mama's, and the Rum House will be popular with the Uptown crowd, likewise for El Gato Negro and Tomatillo's with the French Quarter and Marigny folk. Felipe's has locations in both areas. Taqueria Guerrero, Taco San Miguel, and Taqeuria Sanchez fall into the category of "you know it's authentic because they only play Mexican television." I will probably stay close to home and visit Salsas por el Lago in West End, which will be the subject of a "Your Call" in the near future.

But the most important choice you make today will be what to drink. Beer lovers have a plethora of Mexican options: Corona, Dos Equis, Tecate (in a can is my personal favorite), Modelo, Sol, Estrella, Pacifico, and Bohemia to name a few. If you fancy a margarita, the questions are: Frozen or rocks? With or without salt? Classic or fruit flavored? Or you can just shoot Cuervo all night long - it's really up to you.

Wherever and however you celebrate, beware that The Pope set the bar pretty high on a trip to Tijuana two years ago. Details of that day are hazy at best, but let's just say that after "mas tequila" at the Coko Bongo, La Papa somehow managed to cross back over into the U.S. while armed with a blow gun and a ceramic frog holding a sign which said "Bienvenidos." He then bought 11 bags of churros from the peasant vendors on the bus and ate himself into a cinnamon and sugar covered coma.

¡Olé!

5 comments:

Donnie Boy Riguez said...

Tecate is the cerveza of champions. The red can, intimidating falcon and smooth taste make it a staple at all Lakeview functions.

kf said...

Best Margarita recipe - 2 parts tequila; 2 parts fresh lime juice; 1 part cointreau. Combine all, and either shake vigorously and strain in iced martini glass or stir with ice in salt rimmed glass! Cheers!

Rene said...

Best Margarita Recipe Part 2:

Pour shot of tequila, grab wedge of lime, place salt on back of hand. Lick slat, slam tequila, suck lime.

And no sugar, so no hangover. Skinny Guy Margarita right there.

Anonymous said...

Victoria is my favorite Mexican beer, but not sure if they sell it in the US.

And I love me some vampiro: A vampiro is a shot of good tequila (at least make sure "100%" is printed somewhere on the label, for Christ's sake!) and another shot glass (or whiskey glass) filled with a virgin Bloody Mary however you like it. No salt, please. Just sip the tequila goodness and follow with a sip of spicy tomato goodness. That's a vampiro.

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