Cinco de Mayo celebrations look a little different this year. That doesn’t mean you can’t still have a kickass day at home. Eat all the tacos and drink all the tequila you want. And maybe, after you’ve had a little too much to drink, text your ex. (Just kidding. Don’t do that.)
Before you start celebrating, let’s take a minute to talk about Cinco de Mayo and its importance.
A BRIEF CINCO de MAYO HISTORY
First of all, it’s not Mexican Independence Day; that’s September 16th. May 5th is the anniversary of the 1862 Battle of Puebla when Mexican troops beat the much larger, well-armed French. Though Napoleon III’s army eventually overran Mexico City and the French weren’t kicked out of Mexico until 1867, the Battle of Puebla helped establish a sense of national pride in the Mexican people.
So, now that you know why we raise our glasses, we need to discuss what is in them.
What are we drinking? Tequila. And lots of it.
TEQUILA WHO?
All tequila is made from the blue agave plant and can only be produced in five states of Mexico, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Nayarit, Tamaulipas and Jalisco, where the actual town of Tequila is. After the agave is distilled in copper pots, it’s aged in oak barrels, which produces different varieties: blanco (0-2 months), reposado (2-12 months) and anejo (1-3 years). We came up with a list of our favorite tequilas to sip on or shake up a truk’t Margarita with. Try one or make your own flight with all five this Cinco de Mayo.
WHAT WE'RE DRINKING
1. Don Felix Anejo Tequila
Don Felix Banuelos knew what he was doing when he busted into the tequila industry in 1973. This anejo tequila features high-quality Blue Weber agave that’s aged in American white oak barrels. The result? A smooth scent and unique flavor.
2. Espolon Blanco
All of Espolon’s tequilas start with their blanco. This bad boy’s double distilled, ultra smooth and features a balanced flavor profile; floral, tropical fruit and lemon zest aromas on the nose and tastes of bright agave flavor with notes of pepper, vanilla bean, grilled pineapple and spice. Drink it on the rocks or shake it into a cocktail.
3. Casamigos Blanco
The average fermentation process of tequila is 48 hours. Casamigos ferments their tequilas for 80 hours, which helps increase their aroma and flavor profiles. The citrus and sweet agave aromas make this blanco a perfect tequila for margaritas and other fruity cocktails.
4. Clase Azul Reposado
We love a good ultra-premium reposado. The Tequilana Blue Weber agave is slow cooked in stone ovens for at least 72 hours. Once it reaches a deep, rich flavor, it’s fermented with proprietary yeast before distillation and then aged in oak barrels for eight months. A truly unique tequila, even their bottles are works of art.
5. Casamigos Mezcal
What’s a properly unproper list of tequila without one mezcal thrown into the mix? Casamigos Mezcal is as smooth as it gets. You already know we love their blanco tequila, and their mezcal is no joke. That silky finish is hard to beat. (Check out our blog for the differences between mezcal and tequila. They’re more different than you’d think.)
