The mystical Chupacabra is a Cinco de Mayo cocktail from Dirty Habit in San Francisco that raises the bar with tequila, mezcal, Aperol, and grapefruit to celebrate Mexican heritage, but before we dive into celebrating, we should know a little about what we’re celebrating, right?
What Does Cinco de Mayo Celebrate?
Here’s your one-minute history lesson in bullet form:
* Cinco de Mayo does not celebrate Mexican Independence Day – that’s September 16th. It is a commemoration of the unlikely victory in May of 1862 of Mexican soldiers, most of them with little or no training and poor equipment, over the powerful, well-armed French army who had invaded Mexico and were fighting their way to Mexico City in hopes of forcing the Mexican government to honor past debts. Until the two opposing forces met outside of the town called Puebla, the French army had been efficiently destroying all resistance on its march to the capital. The Battle of Puebla is remembered every May 5th.
Los Lobos at The Greek Theatre with Ozomatli for 3rd Annual Cinco de Mayo Festival (Sat. May 3, 2014)
* Cinco de Mayo celebrations are very important for Mexicans living outside of Mexico, particularly in the United States. In Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is not nearly as important a holiday as Independence Day, September 16. Mexicans observe and celebrate Cinco de Mayo with family gatherings, parades, fireworks, dancing, and feasts of traditional Mexican food. The best place to go for the festivities is the city of Puebla, where the famous battle took place.
* The world’s largest Cinco de Mayo celebration happens in Los Angeles, California! Every year, the people of Los Angeles celebrate “Festival de Fiesta Broadway” on May fifth (or on the closest Sunday). It’s more a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride than remembering a battle that happened 150 years ago. It is sometimes referred to as “Mexican St. Patrick’s Day” (another confused “holiday”). Many other US cities have large Cinco de Mayo celebrations, including Denver, New York City, Phoenix, and Houston. {Source: Latin American History}
Luis Arroyo, a professor of Chicano and Latino studies at California State University Long is quoted in a more indepth article about the evolution of “Cinco de Mayo became one of the celebrations important to the Chicano movement as one of the ways to show other Americans that Mexican Americans have long traditions of loving freedom and being willing to shed their blood to fight for freedom,”, in this interesting Long Beach Post article entitled, Cinco de Mayo: A History of Obscured by Beers and Burritos by Jason Ruiz.
Cinco de Mayo Cocktail: Chupacabra
A mystical cocktail, courtesy of Dirty Habit in San Francisco (opening this week) is killer, but in a nice way. Unlike the legendary El Chupacabra which translates to “goat sucker” in English and is literally what the hairy, reptilian creature does. P.S. the Chupacabra calls for sal de gusano or, in English speak – worm salt. Sal de Gusano is a traditional Oaxacan spice made from sea salt, toasted and ground agave worms, and chile costeño. Use it to accompany mezcal, tequila or michelada, on fruits and salads, or in signature Mexican dishes. You learn something new every day!
Not for the faint of heart, a tequila cocktail with bright citrus notes and a bitter sweet kick.
- 1 ounce Partida tequila
- 1 ounce Del Maguey Vida Mezcal
- 1 ounce lime juice
- .75 ounce Grapefruit Cordial or Pomelo Cordial
- .5 ounce Aperol
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Shake and strain into an old-fashioned glass rimmed with sal de gusano. Garnish with an orange peel.
No sal de gusano? Margarita salt or chile salt may be substituted.
Recipe courtesy of Dirty Habit restaurant in San Francisco's Palomar Hotel.
Chile Rellenos for Cinco de Mayo
The Chupacabra complements all manner of Mexican specialties – from guacamole, tacos, and enchiladas to authentic regional Mexican dishes…and even burritos. Instead of beer and burritos, I’m opting for my favorite chile rellenos.
Cocktail photo courtesy of Allison & Partners.
sippitysup
Grapefruit and tequila are such good friends. Happy 5th. GREG
Terra Baltosiewich (@CafeTerraBlog)
I adore grapefruit in cocktails. I am so up for this bitter sweet kick! This cocktail looks and sounds delicious:-) Hugs, Terra