Cinco de Margaritas

Ah, Cinco de Mayo has arrived. It's a day to celebrate Mexico's rich culture and heritage and commemorate its freedom and democracy. And for Americans, we love any opportunity to hop on a celebration bandwagon, donning our restaurant-gifted birthday sombreros and butchering what little we remember from 9th grade "Intro to Spanish."

To play your celebration on the culturally safe side, we recommend starting the night out with the one true universal language — alcohol. A margarita tastes the same in every language, so we've gathered two recipes to help you kick the holiday off right.

The Classic (Recipe courtesy of thecreeksidecook.com. Drink and photo courtesy of Heather Merriman.)

What you'll need:

• lime wedges
• coarse salt
• ice
• fresh limes
• honey or agave nectar, to taste
• 2 ounces tequila per drink
• 1 ounce lime juice per drink
• ½ ounce cointreau per drink
• shaker

Let's get started:

• Get your lime juice. Use a lemon or lime squeezer to squeeze out about 1 lime per drink, depending on size. Blend in honey or agave to offset sourness, but err on the side of slightly tart.
• Prep your glasses by placing a few teaspoons of coarse salt on a small plate. Moisten the rim of the glass with a lime wedge and place the rim into the salt. Place a few ice cubes in the glass and set aside.
• Put two or three ice cubes in a shaker with the tequila, lime juice and cointreau. Shake vigorously and pour the drink into the prepared glass. Finally, squeeze a lime wedge into the drink and put the wedge in, too. Serve immediately.

Mango Habanero Margarita (Recipe courtesy of Tommy Bahama)

What you'll need:

• 1.75 parts tequila
•  .75 parts orange curacao
• 1 part mango puree
• 1 part sour mix
• 2 slices fresh habanero
• 4 drops Bitterman’s Hellfire Habanero Shrub

Let's get started:

• Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass, add ice and shake with a Boston shaker to blend.
• Pour into an ice-filled, double rocks, salt-rimmed glass and top with two slices of habanero.