$5 margaritas, pop-ups and a mezcal fest to mark Cinco de Mayo
No, it’s not Mexican Independence Day (that’s in September), but Cinco de Mayo arguably is the most heavily celebrated Mexican-themed holiday in the United States. The date actually commemorates the Mexican victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla in 1862, although it has become the day to celebrate one’s excessive consumption of cerveza and tequila — and indeed rivals Super Bowl Sunday for beer consumption in the United States. Here are seven places to mark it.
— The new El Luchador Mexican Kitchen + Cantina at 7825 Blue Diamond Road plans a party on its patio with a taco cart, a la carte munchies and cold cervezas. The party begins at noon, and live mariachi music will begin at 5 p.m. Open to 21 and older. The dining room also will be open. For those who’d rather celebrate at home, El Luchador is offering the Top Rope Party Pack, a taco bar that will enable you and your guests to build chicken, carnitas and shredded beef tacos (six of each), and it comes with taco toppings, chips and salsa and a bottle of Patron Silver for $100 (order by Monday for pickup between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Wednesday. 702-260-8709, luchadorlv.com
— The Taco Tuesdays pop-up at Vegas Test Kitchen, 1020 E. Fremont St., will move to Wednesday for a collaboration by chefs Mariana Alvarado of Masazul and Alex White of Yukon Pizza, plus specialty drinks, a mariachi band and a Latin rock band. The cover is $10 through secretburger.com. Food and drink, which will be a la carte, will include wood-fired nachos, Bershire pork carnitas tacos, quesadillas, al pastor pizza on sourdough crust, Dobel Tequila margaritas, Dobel Silver strawberry-mint-lime cocktails, $5 shots and cold cervezas. secretburger.com
— Everybody serves margaritas on Cinco de Mayo. Here’s a chance to break out into something a bit more interesting. The Tequila & Mezcal Festival at China Poblano at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas continues through May 11, with the spirits matched to dishes made with traditional Mayan ingredients. The menu includes choices such as Las Tres Hermanas, which is cranberry beans, squash and squash blossoms in tomato sofrito, $12. It pairs nicely with La Feria del Elote, a cocktail made with Del Maguey Vida mezcal, yellow chartreuse, lime and corn creme, $17. Others include the more adventurous Sikil P’ak, in which roasted pumpkin seeds, tomatoes, onions, lime, chapulines (grasshoppers) and pomegranate seeds are folded into a toasted blue corn tortilla, $12. Pair that with Koch Arroqueño mezcal, $6 for a half-ounce. The Del Maguey Espadin Flight, $20, is a chance to explore single-village mezcals within the Espadin agave species. chinapoblano.com
— If you’d like to celebrate at home, Mariposa Cocina & Cocktails, 2575 S. Decatur Blvd., is offering a take-home taco kit for two for $25 (a $50 value when dining in). The kit contains four chicken, carne asada or carnitas tacos, a quesadilla, chips and guacamole and pre-batched coconut-lime margarita mix, plus assembly instructions. Order ahead for pickup as early as 11 a.m. Wednesday. For those who dine in, specials will include $4 house margaritas, buy-one-get-one-free carafes of coconut or lime margaritas, $5 shots of Revel Tequila, $4 Mamitas Tequila and soda and a DJ from 3 to 5 p.m. 702-476-3330, mariposacocinalv.com
— Cinco de Mayo celebrates a five — May 5 — and you can celebrate with $5 at two — actually three — spots in Las Vegas. The El Cortez, which will mark its 80th anniversary this year, will offer $5 shots of Patron and $5 1800 margaritas and will have a roaming mariachi band from 5 to 7 p.m. And El Dorado Cantina at 3025 Sammy Davis Jr. Drive and in Tivoli Village will have $5 house margaritas. elcortezhotelcasino.com, eldoradocantina.com
Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Follow @HKRinella on Twitter.
