If you think Mexico’s only holiday worth celebrating is Cinco de Mayo then get ready to yell out un grito because there’s an even bigger holiday happening today. September 16th is officially Mexican Independence Day, a celebration of Mexico’s independence from Spanish rule. During Mexican Independence Day, people fill the streets for a fiesta including colorful parades, bullfights, rodeos, fireworks, and plenty of drinking. While Mexican Independence Day is traditionally celebrated in Mexico, the U.S. has been honoring it for years in cities such as Chicago, San Antonio, Denver, Phoenix, Houston and Austin. Start your own fiesta tonight with our best Mexican Independence Day drinks. Viva Mexico!

Top Mexican Independence Day Cocktail: Almeja

You’re probably wondering why any decent bartender would add salty tomato juice to a cocktail. It’s strangely delicious and really, would you prefer gulping down a worm at the end of a tequila bottle? Clamato juice, a spicy tomato cocktail, is often mixed with cerveza among the Mexican community. Not only does it transform beer from gold to caliente red, but it adds one picante kick without adding any jalepenos into the mix. If you want something to fire up your taste buds, but aren’t daring enough to sprinkle in some tabasco sauce, the Almeja will make your heart race and eyes water...but isn’t freedom to enjoy whatever you please worth fighting for?

Ingredients:
1 oz. Reposado tequila (We used Cabo)
1 oz. Blanco tequila (We used Cabo)
1 oz. Clamato juice
1 Lime wheel

Preparation:
Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and serve over ice in a salt-rimmed rocks glass. Add lime wheel for garnish.

Top Mexican Independence Day Cocktail: Habanero

When a drink is named after the hottest chili pepper, then you know you’re in for a major scorcher. There’s nothing fruity or girly in this steamy number, it’s all about the heat and nothing more. Resposado tequila not only enhances the spiciness of the chili pepper to the max, but dry vermouth encapsulates all the flavors inside the glass, without masking its sweat-inducing warmth. Habanero will make you sizzle, but what a lovely way to burn.

Ingredients:
2 oz. Reposado tequila (We used Cabo)
1 oz. Dry vermouth (We used Cinzano)
1 Habanero pepper

Preparation:
Add ingredients to an ice-filled rocks glass.  Stir and add pepper.

Top Mexican Independence Day Cocktail: Gazpachito Shot

Tequila shots are famous for jumpstarting any fiesta and continue to remain supreme among tourists exploring Mexico’s nightlife. While you could just choose any tequila bottle for shooting, we prefer spicing things up. Surprise friends with this unique shot prepared with sherry, a fortified Spanish white wine known for its diverse elements ranging from roasted hazelnut to baked apple. In addition, tomato juice is included to give the Gazpachito Shot some salt with a rich texture that goes down smoother. However, with jalapenos soaked in, will you be daring enough to drink it all the way through? If you love the Spanish raw vegetable soup that the Gazpachito Shot was named after, then this challenge won’t be too small for you to tackle.

Ingredients:
1 oz. Blanco tequila (We used Cabo)
1 ½ oz. Tomato juice
½ oz. Sherry
2 Slices of green or red jalapeño
1 Cucumber Spear

Preparation:
Shake all ingredients with ice in a shaker. Strain into a chilled shot glass. Slam the shot and then eat the cucumber spear to finish.