Hooray!, For the Mexican victory over the French invasion of Mexico at the Battle of Puebla! (Did you think I was going to say Mexican Independence Day? Independence Day in Mexico is September 16! Read more about Cinco de Mayo here.) No matter what actually took place on May fifth in Mexico, it has now become the day when partiers in the U.S. all get to go to "fiestas" and drink margaritas, Coronas with a wedge of lime or, for the hard core Cinco de Mayo beer fan, Dos Equis! We celebrate with piņatas, sombreros and maracas. (Did you know this tradition actually started in California in the 1860s? What a great way to celebrate our neighbors south of the border!
Throwing a top-notch Cinco de Mayo party is as easy as reserving a back room at your favorite Mexican restaurant. The restaurant will supply the bartender and it's up to you whether you choose to have your guests pay for drinks separately or have an open bar. Speak with the bartender about creating a signature margarita, like the Cadillac Margarita or add a splash of Chambord for a Raspberry Margarita. Most Mexican food can be served tapas-style (Tapas is a tradition from Spain wherein the meal consists of several appetizer-type dishes and are served over the course of the evening instead of all at once.) allowing your guests to mingle, dance, talk or enjoy activities you have planned.
Taking this party home to the living room or back yard is easy too. You can hire one of our Party Builder Bartenders to mix and serve drinks or buy pre-mixed margaritas at the liquor store and keep plenty of ice on hand. Quesadilla machines are inexpensive and easy to use, and most grocery stores have fantastic house-made salsa, sometimes in different flavors. (Try the mango salsa!) Salsa and guacamole recipes abound at Avocado.org; all you need is a food processor. Try other recipes here as well, or hire a caterer that specializes in Mexican food from our list of talented Party Builder Caterers.
Now, for party favors, you definitely need a piņata. Find interesting piņatas at Pinatas.com. If there will be children at the event, you might try a "kid's piņata" and an "adult piņata." Children usually get excited about candy, small toys or small amounts of money. For the adult piņata, fill it with scratch tickets, larger denominations of money ($5 bills are fine) or use your imagination to come up with something really spicy. Just make sure to blindfold the children!
To keep your guests amused, plan to have some activities for them like using crafts to make Mexican flags, decorating sombreros with pom-poms, making maracas from cups and some dried beans, and decorating the outsides with stickers, glue, sparkles or whatever else catches your eye at the crafts store. For more craft, recipe and Cinco de Mayo ideas check out, Kaboose.com. You can certainly pretend the crafts are "just for the kids" but you may very well find your adult friends using their margarita-inspired creativity to make their own crafts and celebrate Cinco de Mayo well into the evening!
Sarah Babineau
Senior Editor, The Party Builder
Got a party-planning idea you want to share with our clients or service providers? Did you have a great party and want to tell us what made it a hit? Email Sarah@ThePartyBuilder.com and we may use your idea or story in a future article!
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