Cinco de Mayo—more than tequila shots

By Mary Sanchez - Knight Ridder Newspapers

Here’s a plea for Cinco de Mayo.

Let’s save it from going the way of St. Patrick’s Day—with its commercially driven binge drinking by people claiming to be “Irish for a day.”

This year, like every year, I am bracing for the onslaught of liquor-industry promotions that will revolve around slamming tequila and beer in honor of this Mexican-American holiday.

I suspect many “Mexican-for-a-day” Americans envision themselves downing rapid-fire tequila shots, thinking they are being one with their brethren in Mexico.

Sorry, but no.

Cinco de Mayo isn’t celebrated widely in Mexico, although it commemorates an important battle won by the Mexican army. Cinco de Mayo is largely a Mexican-American tradition.

Second, the emphasis on drinking to excess for Cinco de Mayo only serves to further the image of drunken Hispanics. That’s not a way to skirt around the fact that drunken fools come in every race and creed. They do; let’s just not overinflate the idea through mass marketing.

Third, tequila, Mexico’s native spirit, deserves more respect than it gets from many Americans. Tequila is as much a source of pride to its finest producers as Cognac is to the French or highland malt whisky to the Scots.

Unfortunately, offers of cinco (five) beers for cinco ($5) don’t promote this aspect of Mexican culture. And few liquor industry displays ever mention the 1862 event that the fifth of May commemorates.

On that date, the Mexican army was victorious over Napoleon’s French army in the Battle of Puebla. In some ways, it could be considered the beginning of the Mexican national identity. At Puebla, the Mexicans were outnumbered six to one, and many were armed with nothing more than pitchforks and machetes. The French had muskets.

It was an impressive David-vs.-Goliath victory. Worthy of commemorating with a fine class of tequila. But not the rotgut alcohol it is often made out to be. Good tequila is a fine liquor to be savored. I sip mine over ice.

Tequila and its predecessor, pulque, have tremendous historic significance for Mexico. Pulque was a drink of the Aztecs. It is made from the fermented sap of the agave, a succulent plant. Many open-air markets in Mexico still sell pulque, often directly from barrels.

Eventually, the Spanish conquistadors brought the art of distillation to Mexico and transformed pulque into tequila. Now, most tequila comes from the Mexican state of Jalisco, which has the blue agave plant, considered the best for tequila-making.

So, here’s to Cinco de Mayo, the memory of a long-ago battle won by a ragtag army. Sip a glass of tequila or two and discover its true qualities in their honor.

Just don’t find yourself in the land of 400 rabbits.