Cinco de Mayo Celebrations with a Blueberry Lemonade Mojito

Each year as the fifth of May comes around, the Mexican recipes start rolling and post-work drinking parties start.  Your local, fun Tex-Mex restaurant around the restaurant becomes a drunken, watering hole with people of ages stumbling out after imbibing one margarita or tequila shot too many.  It is all in good fun and I look forward to it as much as the next person!

Now, we should understand a little bit of the significance of Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "Fifth of May") to the Mexican heritage at least before the party begins.  Cinco de Mayo is the Mexican civic holiday held on May 5 that commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.  This battle also signaled the last battle to be fought on the soil of the Americas by any European country.

While it is not such a huge holiday in Mexico, the US has taken it as a day to celebrate all things Mexican.  Like so many other holidays (ie St Patrick's Day, Chinese New Year, and Christmas), Americans have focused their attention on the drinking aspect.

Now, it would just be un-American of me to ignore that tradition.  So I am revisiting a cocktail I concocted on a hot summer day using whatever ingredients I had on hand in the refrigerator so I didn't have to leave the air-conditioned house.  Fruity, yet fresh from the mint and the clean taste of the vodka, it is the perfect drink on a warm spring day or to bring in Cinco de Mayo.

For something to eat, try some Mexican tortilla soup or pork braised tacos!

To muddle the drink, you do not need a muddler.  You can just use the back of a spoon or I like to use the handle of my wooden spoon.  The blueberries can easily be substituted for any other fruit you may have laying around in the house (ie strawberries, grapes, or peach).

What I love about fruity drinks is that they just hide the alcohol content.  My friends can attest to my deadly, but tasty libations on several celebrations.  A big pitcher of this will make the night go by quickly.  Hope this drink gives every one of you a slightly fuzzy & tipsy Cinco de Mayo!!

BLUEBERRY LEMONADE MOJITO

Makes 1 drink

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup blueberries, washed thoroughly
Handful of mint leaves, de-stemmed (roughly 12 leaves)
1/2 cup lemonade (I used my favorite Trader Joe lemonade)
1 shot good quality vodka (I use Reyka, an organic vodka from Iceland)

DIRECTIONS
1. Chill a martini glass or highball glass by filling with ice cubes and some water.  This is an optional step, but will guarantee a cold and chilled drink.

2.  In a medium metal shaker, add blueberries and mint and muddle until the berries are pulverized and mint leaves release their sweet juices.

3.  Add a handful of ice cubes, add vodka and then top with lemonade. Put top on and shake vigorously.  I do mean shake NOT stir.  It really does make a difference to the drink, trust me!

4.  Pour out the ice cube and water from the glass.  Then, strain the drink into the chilled glass.  Garnish with a mint leaf if you'd like.  But some small mint leaves should already be floating around in your drink for a pretty color. Bottoms up!