a Each year, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated on May 5 to commemorate Mexico’s victory over the French Empire during the 1862 Battle of Puebla.
Unusually, however, Cinco de Mayo – a Spanish term which quite literally translates to ‘fifth of May’ – is rarely celebrated in Mexico itself. There is only a parade in Puebla held to mark the date, which is not a national holiday.
The date is more commonly celebrated in parts of the US that see it as a chance to celebrate Mexican culture through parades, food, traditions and, of course, tequila.
Over on this side of the pond, you’ll see a few Cinco de Mayo celebrations around the capital, but our favourite is the month-long specialised tequila cocktail menu put on by London’s Odyssey Bar to mark the occasion, with El Mayor Blanco Tequila being its spirit of choice.
The tequila itself is made with 100 per cent fresh, mature agave, which is sustainably farmed in the highlands of Jalisco, and mixed with water and yeast.
Voted the World’s Best Tequila in 2024 at the World Tequila Awards, it’s crisp and light with a small hint of pepper to keep your tastebuds alive and kicking.
“Tequila is definitely having a moment,” Odyssey Bar co-founder and director, Tony Vega, says. “Customers want cleaner drinks with provenance, and El Mayor is a popular choice as it’s made with just three natural ingredients and comes from a family distillery. We’ve created a special Cinco de Mayo menu as people are wanting to try tequila in new ways.”
Some of the cocktails include the Paloma, made with El Mayor Blanco and Odyssey grapefruit soda; Rodolpho Negroni, made with El Mayor Añejo, vermouth, bitter, salt and bay; and Snap Out of It, made with El Mayor Blanco, ginger syrup, pineapple, lime and salt.
If you’re looking to indulge in a little tequila tipple at home or are hosting your own Cinco de Mayo celebrations, you can buy El Mayor Tequila at Master of Malt online and have it shipped directly to you. To help you plan, here are three cocktail recipes you can make using El Mayor that are guaranteed to impress your guests.
El Mayor
- 50ml El Mayor Blanco Tequila
- 25ml jalapeño syrup (add sugar, water, 2-3 jalapeño chopped in a small saucepan and bring to the boil, once sugar dissolves, remove from heat and steep for 30 minutes before straining)
- 25ml lime juice
- 15ml blood orange juice
- fresh coriander sprigs
- lime slices
- jalapeños
- soda water
- Tajin
Shake tequila, syrup, blood orange juice and lime juice over ice. Double strain into glass rimmed with Tajin and top with soda water. Garnish with coriander, lime wheels, jalapeńo and coriander.
El Mayor
- 50ml El Mayor Reposado Tequila
- 50ml grapefruit juice
- 15ml lime juice
- 15ml jalapeño syrup
- 15ml Chile liqueur
- soda water
- grapefruit slice
Shake tequila, grapefruit juice, lime juice, syrup and Chile liqueur over ice. Strain into an ice-filled, tajin-rimmed glass and top with soda water. Garnish with grapefruit.
Pomegranate Sour cocktail
El Mayor
- 50ml El Mayor Reposado Tequila
- 25ml pomegranate liqueur
- 25ml lemon juice
- 15 ml sugar syrup
- 1 egg white
- 2-3 dashes bitters
Shake tequila, pomegranate liqueur, lemon juice, simple syrup and egg white for 30 seconds, add ice and shake again for 30 seconds, then strain into a coupe glass and add the bitters.
