By Jacquie Kubin
What is Cinco de Mayo? Well, other than a good reason to find bars serving tequila based libations?
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Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s Independence day. That is September 16th.
This holiday commemorates May 5, 1862, the day when a small army of Mexican soldiers defeated hoards of occupying French soldiers at The Battle of Puebla, Mexico.
Following the Mexican-American war of 1846-48, Mexico was occupied by the French, English and Spanish and heavily in debt. Then President Benito Juarez announced he would need to suspend all foreign debt payments for a period of two years.
England, Spain and France were not happy being left with this debt and decided to invade Mexico, however before blood was shed, the English and Spanish came to an agreement with President Juarez leaving only the French hell-bent on overtaking Mexico.
Under the rule of Emperor Napoleon III, the French army planned to invade Mexico City, declare it for France and install Hapsburg Prince Maximilian to rule their New Mexican Empire.
However, a league of 5,000 “ill-equipped” Mestizo and Zapotec Indians, under the command of Texas-born General Ignacio Zaragoza, overtook the French through some brilliant battlefield commandeering, thus winning a great victory at the “Batalla de Puebla” on “5 de Mayo.”
Adding reason for American celebration of that great battle, “5 de Mayo” kept Napoleon III from supplying Confederate rebels with armaments to fight the Civil War. This gave Union Soldiers time to bolster their ranks and assembly, ending our great Civil War with the Confederate armies at defeat at Gettysburg.
So it is only appropriate that we celebrate our freedom and liberty on this, “5 de Mayo” with a good Margarita and a shout out to General Ignacio Zaragoza and his army of Mestizo and Zapotec Indians! (for a great video visit History.com).
Following is Donne Tempo’s favorite new spin on the classic Margarita created by noted mixologist Junior Merino!
CORZO LA FUTURA by Junior Merino
1 ½ Part CORZO Silver
¾ Part Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur
¾ Part Pineapple Juice
1 Part Fresh Lime Juice
½ Part Agave Nectar
Pour all ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake and pour into a margarita glass or rocks glass. Garnish with a slice of crystallized ginger and lemon peel.
About Junior Merino
Master Mixologist Junior Merino has built his career on fusing exotic, unexpected flavors. Junior has created signature cocktails for dozens of restaurants and bars across the world.
Due to his well-known creativity, Junior has won a “Rising Star” award from Star Chefs and a special recognition from Mexico’s government for his knowledge of Mexican ingredients.
Junior also holds advanced certifications in cognac and tequila expertise, and continues to study the various types of spirits for his upcoming book, to be released by early 2009. For more information on Junior, please visit www.theliquidchef.com.
