Frosty beers. Fruity margaritas. Tasty tacos.
These are the hallmarks of Cinco de Mayo, a holiday marking the anniversary of Mexico’s victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla. Though a relatively minor holiday in Mexico, Cinco de Mayo never passes without a few fiestas north of the border.
Cinco de MayoÓrale!
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Skip the paper invitations. Save money and trees by sticking to digital invites for your party. You can create a Facebook event or go a little crazy with custom digital invitations on a site such as Evite.com or Punchbowl.com. Both sites feature festive Cinco de Mayo designs, which you can personalize with your party’s title, location, description and more. You can email the card to a guest list of recipients and even set up an RSVP system and private party message board.
Assemble a build-your-own-taco bar. Cobbling together a taco bar is quick, easy, cheap and gives your party guests an opportunity to show off their culinary creativity. You can include an endless variety of fillings and garnishes in a taco bar, but suggestions include:
— Tortillas. Corn tortillas are cheaper, healthier and more authentic than flour. Serve warm tortillas wrapped in a towel in a serving dish with a lid to lock in heat.
— Beans. Canned or pinto will do.
— Chicken. You can grab a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, shred and season the meat with garlic, chili powder, paprika and salt.
— Pan-roasted veggies. For your vegetarian guests, roast up a blend of zucchini, mushrooms and squash.
— Shredded cheese. Shredded cheddar, jack and colby cheese are typical in a Mexican cheese blend. Get a little fancy and crumble up some queso fresco and cotija, too.
— Grilled pineapple chunks. Garnishing with grilled pineapple gives tacos a tangy twist.
— Salsa. You can slice up your own with tomatoes, onions, cilantro and seasonings. Alternatively, lay out ingredients separately so guests can create their own.
— Assorted garnishes. In separate bowls, serve shredded lettuce, cilantro, sour cream, sliced avocados, pickled onions and pickled jalapenos.
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Set up a margarita bar. Consider assembling a margarita bar where guests can pour their own drinks. Your margarita bar can include:
— A couple of pitchers of margaritas. Stir tequila, triple sec, fresh lime juice, sweetened lime juice and ice in a large pitcher.
— Salt-rimmed glasses with straws. Layout plenty of glasses. Rim each glass by rubbing a lime wedge around the edges, then dipping in salt.
— Freshly cut limes. Set out a plate of fresh limes, sliced into wedges.
— Paloma station. As an alternative to margaritas, offer paloma cocktails, which are a simple blend of tequila and grapefruit juice. You can set out tequila and juice for guests who want to shake one up.
Whip up horchata and agua fresca. Be sure to offer a selection of nonalcoholic beverages for the designated drivers. Delicious and inexpensive drink ideas include:
— Horchata. This traditional Mexican beverage calls for rice, water, milk, vanilla, sugar and cinnamon. Combine rice and water in a blender until the rice begins to break up, then let the mixture sit at room temperature overnight. Strain the liquid into a pitcher and throw away the rice. Stir milk, vanilla, cinnamon and sugar into the drink, then serve chilled over ice.
— Agua fresca. You can whip up this refreshing drink, traditionally sold by Mexican street vendors, with mango, watermelon, cantaloupe or your fruit of choice. In a blender, mix fruit chunks with water until smooth. Pour the liquid through a strainer into glasses with ice. Add lime juice and honey or agave to taste.
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Hit up the dollar store. Dollar stores are a treasure trove of cheap decorations and paper goods. At many dollar chains, you can find these Cinco de Mayo essentials for as little as $1:
— Red, white and green paper plates.
— Red and green cups.
— Red and green plastic cutlery.
— Red and green tablecloths.
— Serving bowls.
— Aluminum trays.
— Crepe paper, ribbon and party hats for the piñata.
— Red, white and green balloons for decorations and the piñata.
— Piñata candy.
Make your own piñata. You can easily make your own traditional Mexican star piñata for guests to crack open later. Here are the basic steps :
1. Tear newspaper strips into shreds.
2. Whip up a thick paper-mache paste with flour and water in a bowl.
3. Dip the strips of newspaper in the paste and plaster strips over the balloon. Continue until the balloon is fully covered by a layer of newspaper.
4. Add a couple more layers of newspaper, allowing each layer to dry before adding the next.
5. Once all the layers are fully dry, pop the balloon.
6. Attach a line of five party hats around the piñata with strong tape. These are the points of your star.
7. Decorate the piñata in colorful crepe paper, leaving a few ribbons hanging from tips of the cones.
8. Cut a large hole in the paper-mache and stuff your piñata with candy.
9. Poke four small holes around the large hole and thread string through the smaller holes to hang the piñata.
Ask for contributions. At least a couple of your friends or family members are probably just dying for an opportunity to show off their guacamole recipe. Invite guests to bring along their favorite Mexican snacks, sides and entrees, and it’s likely that many will respond enthusiastically, with everything from tortilla chips to their grandma’s homemade mole. Suggest that those who don’t cook bring their favorite Mexican beer or contribute a bottle of tequila for the margaritas.
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How to Throw a Fabulous Cinco de Mayo Party That Doesn?t Cost a Fortune originally appeared on usnews.com
