If you’re hosting a Cinco de Mayo fiesta, make a cocktail that’s sure to be the highlight of the party. From classic margaritas like cucumber mezcal margaritas to authentic sangria, find your next delicious cocktail from this collection of 25+ Cinco de Mayo Cocktail Recipes!
Post first published on May 1, 2014 and last updated with new content on May 1, 2024.
I love a good party and Cinco de Mayo gives us a great excuse to invite over family and friends and celebrate Mexican culture with delicious food like barbacoa tacos, borracho beans, chips and salsa, tamales, and a big slice of tres leches cake for dessert.
By the way, have you tried this Chile Colorado yet?
But beyond the delicious savory eats and good times, aren’t we all most excited about the Cinco de Mayo drinks?
I’ve been known to craft one, if not two, traditional Mexican drinks for a get-together, especially if it’s a Cinco de Mayo celebration. And if you want to be dubbed THE official mixologist this year, look no further for recipe inspiration! I’ve gathered 25+ of my favorites and included them all below.
Drinks that are made from simple ingredients, have a perfect balance of brightness, booze, bitter, and sweet, can be scaled up or down to make a pitcher if necessary, and are simply refreshing on a warm day top the list.
I particularly love these tequila libre cocktails. They scream spring, are light and refreshing, and are made with homemade rhubarb lemonade that can double as a non-alcoholic option. Have an abundance of fresh berries? What better way to use them up than these spicy raspberry margaritas.
Success Tip: Pre-batching is your friend! Instead of shaking or stirring individual cocktails to order (which gets chaotic fast), prepare a large batch of your signature drink in advance that way you can enjoy the party instead of playing bartender.
✨ Love or hate mixing up cocktails? What’s your #1 frustration when it comes to drinks? Let me know in the comments below? ✨
25 Cinco de Mayo Cocktail Recipes
1. The Original Cadillac Margarita
Kicking things off with a classic. This simple, 4-ingredient cocktail leans a bit on the sweet side with Grand Marnier and agave syrup but is well balanced with lots of fresh-squeezed lime juice for (in my humble opinion) the perfect margarita. Garnish with a lime wedge and you’re good to go!
2. Strawberry Hibiscus Palomas
Sweet-tart strawberries meet vibrant hibiscus in this refreshing twist on the classic Paloma. Tequila’s bite, zesty grapefruit juice, and a hint of floral sweetness come together for a cocktail that sings of summer.
3. Tequila Sunrise
This simple cocktail makes a great brunch drink or easy-going sipper with blanco tequila, orange juice and homemade grenadine (which is way easier to make than you’d think).
4. Super Simple Spicy Margarita
You’d never guess how easy it is to make everyone’s favorite spicy margarita recipe. Silver tequila, fresh lime juice, jalapeños, agave (or simple syrup), and Cointreau orange liqueur are all you need!
5. The BEST Paloma Recipe
The most popular cocktail in Mexico. This is the classic recipe: reposado tequila, freshly squeezed lime and grapefruit juice and the only way to make Palomas—with Squirt grapefruit soda. The ultimate refreshing summer cocktail.
6. Sparkling Blood Orange Margaritas
Fizzy and sweet with a rose hue to steal your heart. Use a mandolin to make the thin blood orange and lime wheel garnish. There is literally nothing you won’t love about this Sparkling Blood Orange Margarita Recipe. The best part is how absolutely effortless it is to make!
7. Fresh Kiwi Caipirinha
So this cocktail is more Brazilian than Mexican but it is refreshing as all get out so break out that cocktail shaker and get to muddling! Made with ripe, juicy kiwifruit and limes, honey and cachaça—Brazil’s most popular sugar cane liquor.
8. Charred Chile Bloody Marias
Maybe you’re throwing more of a Cinco de Mayo brunch and are looking for a good morning cocktail. If so, these Bloody Maria cocktails are the way to go! Like a Bloody Mary with tequila…charred chile-infused tequila to be precise, plus tomato and lemon juice, and just the perfect amount of Worcestershire sauce and spice.
9. Honey Grapefruit Margarita
Deliciously cool and tart grapefruit margarita is the quintessential summer cocktail. Fresh ruby red grapefruit juice, tequila, fresh lime juice, triple sec, and honey over fresh ice. A fresh orange twist perfumes the top of the glass.
10. A Classic Michelada
Well balanced, a bit spicy, and completely refreshing. This classic beer cocktail is made with tomato juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire, a juiced lime, and Mexican beer. Easy to make and even easier to drink.
11. Mojito
Again, not a Mexican cocktail, but still fits the bill for being the ultimate refresher. This Cuban combination of mint, club soda, rum, lime, and syrup is absolutely thirst-quenching.
12. La Mulita
This one is truly one of my favorite cocktails. It is basically a tequila Moscow Mule—that’s the key. It’s so easy, no shaker needed, just layer the lime, mint, tequila, and ginger beer in a rocks glass. Stir and enjoy!
13. Brandy Ginger Twist
Maybe you want to do fancy for your Cinco de Mayo festivities? Then whip up this glamorous combination of brandy, lemon, fresh ginger juice, orgeat, pineapple gum syrup, and angostura bitters and pour it into an icy coupe glass.
14. Ranch Water
Grab your best tequila and a bottle of Topo Chico for one of the easiest, most refreshing cocktails, Ranch Water. With only three ingredients this simple recipe is perfect for entertaining. I like to rim each glass with Tajín for that spicy finish but that is totally optional.
15. Blood Orange Salty Dog
If you’re not a tequila fan, maybe this vodka cocktail might be more up your alley? Ultra juicy blood oranges, pink grapefruit, vodka and a deliciously salted rim. Combine ingredients in a tall glass and voilá!
16. Mezcal Punch
Although I usually reserve this one for the holidays, Cinco de Mayo is a holiday, right?! It has really nice kick and is perfect for serving a crowd. Mezcal, pineapple juice, ginger beer, orange juice, Grand Marnier, and lime. Check out the post for how to make a pretty ice ring!
17. Tamarind Margarita
This is one of my all-time favorite Cinco de Mayo cocktails made with fresh tamarind syrup, Añejo tequila, and fresh lime. It’s a little sweet, a little sour, and absolutely delicious.
18. Strawberry Pink Peppercorn Margaritas
Strawberry margaritas seem like a no-brainer for Cinco de Mayo since they are so sweet and juicy right now. This version is super easy to make with sweet and sour mix, pink peppercorns, blanco tequila, and fresh strawberries.
19. Mezcal Rhubarb Sour
Not the best large-batch option, but if you are throwing a small soiree, this is the drink you’ll want. Homemade rhubarb simple syrup embraces spring and the mezcal gives it a delightful smoky flavor. My rhubarb was more green than red, but if you get nice red rhubarb it will give this drink a gorgeous pink hue.
20. Pitcher-Perfect Sour Orange Margaritas
On the other hand, if you are looking for a pitcher margarita recipe, let me lead you in this direction. No need to shake or strain anything, just combine all the ingredients in a blender and serve! Extra points for rimming the glasses with sal de gusano instead of regular old salt.
21. Spicy Jalapeño Michelada
Feel free to make these as spicy as you’d like. With pickled jalapeños, pickled jalapeño juice, and Tajín you can go all the way or just a touch. The beer, lime juice, and tomato juice calm things down and make for one of the more lower-alcohol Cinco de Mayo cocktail recipes.
22. Skinny Cherry and Lime Leaf Margaritas
I tend to combine hard-to-find ingredients (lime leaves) with an easy mixer (skinny margarita mix). Therefore once you search all over town for the lime leaves you won’t have any trouble mixing up the margarita when you get home! There’s no good substitute for the lime leaves if you can’t find them, but the margarita is still good with just the sweet cherries.
23. Apple Blackberry Hard Cider Sangria
I love this one because it uses my favorite Mexican soda, Sidral Mundet; an apple-flavored soda that is like the best sparkling apple cider ever. Sidral plus hard cider plus blackberries is a seriously delicious drink and is easy to make in big batches. If you can’t find Sidral, use a non-alcoholic sparkling apple cider like Martinelli’s.
24. Tangerine Thyme Margaritas
This one is a little fancy (fresh thyme syrup), a little citrusy (fresh-squeezed tangerine juice), and a lot fabulous. Making a batch of these tangerine thyme margaritas is basically like pouring a party.
25. Spicy Mango Margaritas
And one last margarita before I go. It really doesn’t get any easier than these spicy mango margaritas: Tequila, lime juice, mango nectar, ice. Add a spicy chili rim and you’re golden.
Happy Cinco de Mayo Friends!
I hope you have a fun day with delicious food, good friends, and an excellent cocktail. Leave me a comment and let me know which one of these cinco de mayo cocktail recipes you are most excited about making.
The Perfect Cinco de Mayo Party Favor
By the way, if you are looking for a fun Cinco de Mayo party favor to give to your friends, check out this easy DIY tequila salt. It’s super easy to make and looks pretty packed in little jars with serape ribbon. Use it as a finishing salt for grilled steak or rimming margarita glasses.
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