Our Cinco de Mayo Picks

Our picks for Cinco de Mayo are spin-offs of the traditional beverages found in Mexico. We are inspired by the blend of Mexican and American culture, so we brought in a variety of options for you to choose from to celebrate this holiday your way! We have something for beer lovers, wine lovers, spice lovers, sweet lovers… Cinco de Mayo may be on a Tuesday this year, but with quarantine in full force, Tuesday could become more than just the most productive day of the week.

 

If any of these beverages sound good to you, keep reading!

1. Classic Lagers brewed in the U.S., but with Mexican inspiration
2. Micheladas, a drink traditional to Mexico that combines beer with the rich flavors of tomato juice and spices (any bloody mary lover should give this a try)
3. Margaritas with all-natural ingredients packed in a convenient can
4. Wines that pair best with Mexican food

 

Cinco de Mayo is a day of celebration, but not many people know why. It is a holiday that commemorates Mexico’s Army’s triumph over the French in 1862. In reality, this day honors a single battle in Mexico, not Mexican Independence (as many people commonly mistake) which is actually on September 16th. Fascinatingly, this holiday is celebrated more in the U.S. than in Mexico, primarily because it has evolved into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage. As we look to celebrate the experiences and achievements of Mexicans on this day, we want to join you this year with beer options, mixed drinks, and even a little wine to spice up the day.

 

Classic Lagers

Bienvenidos by Caboose Brewing Company, is a Mexican style lager with light body, mild bitterness, crisp sweetness, and a cool clean finish. Caboose is a local brewer with 2 locations in Northern Virginia. They strive to provide fresh, well-crafted beer and they succeeded! Their Bienvenidos is a nod to the American way to drink many Mexican beers, with a hint of salt layered into this crisp and refreshing lager. They encourage you to add a lime for garnish and a hint of citrus with the finish of this beer (as you would for Mexican imports) to provide an enticing contrast to the crisp sweetness that naturally comes from the malts.

 

Stone Buenaveza Salt & Lime Lager, released on April 13th of this year, is the newest from Stone Brewing out in San Diego! Stone Brewing draws influence from their southern neighbors in Mexico for many of their beers as they seek to enrich and inspire drinkers with their bold, flavorful beers. This most recent addition to their brew line is their take on a classic lager inspired by the tasty beers of Mexico. This beer needs no additives because it maintains a crisp note of lime throughout that creates a refreshing, yet dry, tartness that balances out the typical malty sweetness of a light lager. We all know lime and salt help mask tequila and are familiar with the need for lime in a Corona to cut the bitterness of a beer that is slightly skunked due to travel time and light pollution. But we now have this incredible light lager that intentionally combines salt and lime into a balanced beer that is easy to drink without lacking in taste. We can’t stop saying good things about this beer, but really you should try it to let it speak for itself.

 

*Both beers are available at our Vienna store and can be ordered online!

 

 

Micheladas: with Bloody Mary Mix by Cutwater 

Bloody mary mix is typically used for a killer spiked morning beverage with Vodka and usually a variety of other flavorful food options like bacon, pickles, celery, olives, or even the occasional cheese square. It’s a charcuterie platter in a glass. But it can also be used to make a more traditional Mexican drink called a Michelada! While bloody mary mix is not the most authentic option for a Michelada, it actually works quite well because of the tomato juice base. A traditional Michelada calls for tomato juice, hot sauce, lime juice, and a blend of spices mixed with a light lager. And our Cutwater Bloody Mary Mix takes care of the tomato juice and spices for you! The lime juice and hot sauce are based on taste preference and some choose to leave either or both out.

*Cutwater Bloody Mary Mix is sold at our McLean & Vienna locations.

 

Margaritas: Fling Craft Cocktail

Boulevard Brewing Company is a beer company that’s stepped into the spirits arena with mixed cocktails in a can and is knocking it out of the park! They have a line of craft cocktails that are all-natural and spirit-based, and we’ve brought in the Margarita one for Cinco de Mayo. In their own words, this is a “mouthwatering blend of salty, sweet and sour, crafted with Mean Mule American Agave spirit, offering a lively, refreshing spin on a perennial favorite”. If you’re looking for low-abv (7.5%), gluten-free beverage options, give this one a try. If you close your eyes when sipping it, you can almost start to feel the sand between your toes and a hint of a sea breeze…or maybe that’s just us.

*Available in our Vienna store and can be ordered online.

 

Wines that Pair Best with Mexican Food 

When you think of a typical Mexican-American dish, most minds immediately jump to tacos or quesadillas or burritos. All of these can be cooked in a variety of ways. But since Cinco de Mayo falls on a Tuesday this year, we’re sharing some of our favorite wines from each store that pair best with Tacos! Pull your best Taco Tuesday together and add any of these wines to bring your meal to the next level.

Because we all enjoy different levels of spiciness, we’ve selected wine options that pair perfectly with each level of spice. They’re also at a variety of price points ranging from $9.99 to $23.99. To find each of these wines, simply go to the “Shop Our Inventory” tab and click on the store it is stocked in, then type the name in the search and drop it to your cart. If you would prefer to order over the phone, our stores’ numbers are also listed below.

Mild-Spicy Tacos: Crisper and more acidic wines go well with mild spice. We tend to opt for a fruit-forward Sauvignon Blanc or Chenin Blanc if you’re looking for a white or a light, well-balanced Pinot Noir if you prefer reds.

• Elizabeth Spencer’s Sauvignon Blanc (at all 3 stores) $13.99
• Pierre & Bertrand Couly Saumur 100% Chenin Blanc (at our Vienna store) $9.99
• Musset Roullier L’Orchere Chenin Blanc (at our McLean store) $13.99
• Timbre Pinot Noir (at all 3 stores) $16.99
• Roots Pinot Noir (at all 3 stores) $19.99
• Deliance Bourgogne Rouge (at Great Falls & McLean) $18.99
• Lumos 5 Blocks Pinot Noir (at our Vienna store) $23.99
• Octopoda Pinot Noir (at our Vienna store) $22.99

Medium-Spicy Tacos: If you’re upping the spice to medium, you’ll want to lean into a slightly more full-bodied wine. A Riesling or Gruner will give you a smooth contrast to the added spice and cool your mouth down between bites. While a red Rhone has the balance needed to complement the spicier lean of a medium taco dish.

• Bedrock Riesling Wirz Vineyard (at our Great Falls store) $22.99
• Sleight of Hand Magician Reisling (at our Vienna store) $17.99
• Josef Bauer “Katharina” Gruner (at our Vienna store) $15.99
• Josef Bauer Feuersbrunn Riesling (at our McLean store) $13.99
• Stadt Krems Gruner Veltliner (at our Great Falls store) $14.99
• Duvernay Cabane Cotes du Rhone Rouge (at our Great Falls & Vienna store) $12.99
• Domaine De La Nobalie Chinon Cabernet Franc (at our McLean store) $17.99

Hot-Spicy Tacos: When cooking up a hot dish, the best bet to cut through the heat is a chilling bubbly or rose wine. We would recommend any of the following:

• Clara C Prosecco (at all 3 stores) $12.99
• Louis de Grenelle Cremant de Loire “Platine” (at our Great Falls store) $15.99
• Les Ligeriens Rose d’Anjou (at our Great Falls store) $12.99
• Domaine De La Verde Vacqueyras Rose (at all our stores) $17.99
• La Ferla Rosato (at all 3 stores) $9.99

 

 

To order any of the products you’ve seen on this page:

• Great Falls
  • Order online
  • 571-459-2170
• McLean
  • Order online
  • 703-288-2970
• Vienna
  • Order online
  • 703-639-0155