It’s hard to believe that it’s that time of year again, but dust off your Sombreros and break open a bottle of your best agave juice…Cinco de Mayo has arrived.

The holiday of Cinco De Mayo, The 5th Of May, commemorates the victory of the Mexican militia over the French army at The Battle Of Puebla in 1862. It is primarily a regional holiday celebrated in the Mexican state capital city of Puebla and throughout the state of Puebla, with some limited recognition in other parts of Mexico, and especially in U.S. cities with a significant Mexican population. It is not, as many people think, Mexico’s Independence Day, which is actually September 16.

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo has become increasingly popular along the U.S.-Mexico border and in parts of the U.S. that have a high population of people with a Mexican heritage. In these areas the holiday is a celebration of Mexican culture, of food, music, beverage and customs unique to Mexico.

In previous years we’ve offered up a Margarita recipe for you to mix up on the day, but thought we’d do it differently this time. This year we’re happy to offer you 4 varieties of desktop wallpapers for your Mac or PC to add a bit more colour to day. Now what other tequila site does that? Simply choose your preferred colour and slap it on to that monitor. Most screen sizes (widescreen) have been accounted for, but should you need a specific size then get in touch and we’ll see what we can do for you. We have however included the ‘monster’ 2560 x 1600 version for you to cut and crop as you see fit.

Red Wallpapers – Green Wallpapers – Orange Wallpapers – Blue Wallpapers

Disclaimer: The tequilatown appreciates that 100% agave tequila should never be taken with lemon as depicted, but images produced are purely for entertainment value. Individuals that however wish to ruin their drink with fruits and (god forbid) salt are free to do so, even though we think they’re bonkers.

Oh, who are we kidding. Here’s a recipe for the traditional margarita, in case you have no idea how to make one.

The Traditional Margarita

Ingredients

1.5 oz. tequila
1 oz. triple sec
0.5 oz. lime juice
Salt
Lime wedge

Putting it together

Grab a lime wedge and run it around the edge of a margarita glass. On a plate, table or even a mirror (be sure to clean off the Colombian Marching Powder first) spread out a layer of salt, then run the outside of the glass through the salt to create a rim. In a cocktail shaker, combine the tequila (100% agave only of course), triple sec, and lime juice with ice and shake well. Throw some crushed ice into the glass, strain the shaken ingredients in and enjoy. If that all seems to much work then just grab a glass and drink the tequila straight up.

¡Salud y’all!

This Cinco de Mayo (Thursday, May 5, 2011) will be one for the history books, as Pura Vida Tequila (a.k.a. “The World’s Best Damn Tequila”) launches the first radio station owned and operated by a liquor company. Radio Pura Vida will stream live through an online media player at www.puravida.mx, as well as through a custom smartphone application (via a free download). Radio Pura Vida is the culmination of a great deal of hard work by the founder of the Mexican-based Tequila Company, Stewart Skloss, as well as the extraordinary vision and contributions of one of the company’s leading investors, Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame musician Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.

Radio Pura Vida will be an online radio station featuring an exciting mix of adult alternative, Texas rock, global rock and Mexican rock. In addition to its eclectic mix of music, the radio station will include interviews with several of Billy Gibbons’ industry friends — many of them also legends in the music business. Other surprises are sure to be in store, as Gibbons brings his over-the-top personality and lifestyle to Internet radio. Once the Internet radio station goes live on Cinco de Mayo, listeners are encouraged to check in with Radio Pura Vida often to keep track of important tequila news and opportunities to enjoy Pura Vida with friends. With a music legend like Billy Gibbons involved in the formatting of the station, listeners won’t want to miss a thing — since the mix they will hear on Radio Pura Vida will not be available anywhere else.

According to American Media Services, Internet radio is one of the fastest-growing online media categories. The weekly Internet radio audience has doubled every five years since 2001 and now reaches an estimated 57 million people per week, based on the most recent Arbitron and Edison research. In fact, Arbitron stated that 10% of that group listens regularly to the Internet radio service Pandora and tunes in for an average of almost ten hours per week. The research also points out that use of smartphones has nearly doubled in the past year with 31% using the devices and their applications. Pura Vida hopes to bring some flavor to this emerging market to improve the spirits of Internet-radio-listeners everywhere!

Radio Pura Vida was created for Pura Vida Tequila Company, LLC by RFC Media. For over 25 years RFC Media has helped to pioneer game-changing new models that contributed to a period of unprecedented growth in traditional and online radio, as well as on the mobile digital network. RFC is the only known provider of extreme customization of live streaming radio for the delivery of an immersive customer experience.

This Cinco de Mayo will be very special. At 12:01 AM CDT, Radio Pura Vida goes live, and the world will never be the same.

DeLeón Tequila Wins Grand Prize and Best in Show for an Unprecedented Second Year in a Row

From the exclusive world of DeLeón Tequila comes a new pinnacle in the DeLeón portfolio: DeLeón Tequila Añejo. This aged expression joins siblings DIAMANTE and REPOSADO as a Grand Prize winner in the World Beverage Competition. Recently released in New York, Los Angeles, Aspen and Las Vegas, the DeLeón Tequila Anejo also won Best in Show at the WBC.

Outside, the Añejo bottle and packaging embody an elegant hard edge, with a sophisticated hand-wrapped leather box, cut-glass bottle and gold-finished cap. The aging process for the tequila consists of 17 months in French Oak Haute Futaie fully grown timber barrels and then finished in French Sauternes barrels from the most revered winemakers of our time.

Renowned industry critic Robert Haynes-Peterson from The Examiner says, “On the nose, you’re caressed by notes of butterscotch, mild wood, and black cherry. On the mouth, it is so round and velvet-smooth, you may swear off your favorite single malt or VSOP Cognac. The spirit is exquisitely balanced, with hints of soft butter and white butter on the approach, and a mild, sweet jalapeno finish that leaves you craving the next sip.”

DeLeón Añejo comes from the world of luxury visionary and finance veteran, Brent Hocking, the company’s founder and CEO. He oversees the crafting of his product at a family-owned agave field and distillery in Purísima del Rincon, Guanajuato, Mexico, one of the few states outside Jalisco allowed to produce 100% Blue Weber Tequila. The town name literally translates to “The Purest of the Corner” and was named after the Immaculate Conception.

The World Beverage Competition is a member of the World Trade organization and complies with all international law. With over 10,000 entries and over 30 countries, it is recognized as the most Prestigious Beverage Competition in the world.

Source: Business Wire

The holiday of Cinco De Mayo, The 5th Of May, commemorates the victory of the Mexican militia over the French army at The Battle Of Puebla in 1862. It is primarily a regional holiday celebrated in the Mexican state capital city of Puebla and throughout the state of Puebla, with some limited recognition in other parts of Mexico, and especially in U.S. cities with a significant Mexican population. It is not, as many people think, Mexico’s Independence Day, which is actually September 16.

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo has become increasingly popular along the U.S.-Mexico border and in parts of the U.S. that have a high population of people with a Mexican heritage. In these areas the holiday is a celebration of Mexican culture, of food, music, beverage and customs unique to Mexico.

Tres Agaves bartender Cristian Lara prepares what he calls the perfect margarita - Photo by Sena Christian

Commercial interests in the United States and Mexico have also had a hand in promoting the holiday, with products and services focused on Mexican food, beverages and festivities, with music playing a more visible role as well. Several cities throughout the U.S. hold parades and concerts during the week following up to May 5th, so that Cinco de Mayo has become a bigger holiday north of the border than it is to the south, and is being adopted into the holiday calendar of more and more people every year.

Now we’d advise drinking your tequila straight-up…but if you fancy something a bit more jovial during your festivities today then Tres Agaves bartender Cristian Lara has what he considers to be the perfect Margarita.

Recipe for the perfect margarita:

1 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice

1 oz. Tres Agaves house-made agave nectar

2 oz. 100 percent Blue Agave tequila

Squeeze out 1 ounce of lime juice and pour over ice in a large glass. Add 1 ounce of agave nectar and 2 ounces of 100 percent Blue Agave tequila. Cover and shake glass. Pour fresh ice into a new glass and pour in mixed drink.

Recipe Source: Cristian Lara, Tres Agaves Mexican Kitchen and Tequila Lounge

With Cinco de Mayo just over a week away a couple of legal firms in the United States are doing their bit to reduce alcohol related deaths on the road.

Widely perceived as Mexico’s Independence Day (which is actually September 16th), Cinco de Mayo is actually the anniversary of when 4,000 Mexican soldiers forced the French out of Puebla, Mexico, in 1862. Over the years, Cinco de Mayo has grown into a celebration throughout the United States and has become synonymous with cultural festivities as well as partaking in a few drinks. Many tequila brands and bars sport various offers to get into the Mexican spirit.

Colorado Springs, Colorado – Following the success of its New Year’s Eve and St. Patrick’s Day programs, McDivitt Law Firm is expanding its Safe and Sober Free Ride Home program to include Cinco de Mayo. The law firm is again partnering with Yellow Cab of Colorado Springs to provide free transportation to those who can’t drive or feel they don’t have a safe way home. The Safe and Sober Free Cab Ride Home program will be available in Colorado Springs from 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 5, through 3 a.m., Thursday, May 6, 2010.

To request a free cab ride home within Colorado Springs city limits, call Yellow Cab of Colorado Springs at (719) 777?7777 and tell them the ride is on McDivitt Law Firm.

“Our Safe and Sober Ride Home program has provided nearly 4,000 rides since beginning three years ago, and the program is worth every penny if it means keeping drunk drivers off the road,” – personal injury attorney Mike McDivitt, founder of McDivitt Law Firm.

Alameda, California - While Cinco de Mayo may not be an official American holiday, that doesn’t stop many of us from borrowing a day of celebration from our neighbors south of the border. Like many celebrations, Cinco de Mayo often involves drinking alcohol, so in anticipation of the many local
festivities, Berg Injury Lawyers will be offering free cab rides home to adults who have been drinking.

“The Bay Area can be a tricky place to drive, even under the best conditions,” said attorney William Berg. “Nobody should be subjected to sharing the road with drunk motorists.”

The Safe and Sober Free Cab Ride Home program will be available in Alameda, Berkeley, and Oakland as well as in San Francisco from 3 p.m. on Wednesday, May 5, through 3 a.m. on Thursday, May 6, 2010.

• For a free ride home within Alameda, Berkeley, and Oakland city limits, call Veterans Cab at (800) 281?4488. Veterans Cab can provide rides home from the East Bay to San Francisco, but not from San Francisco to the East Bay.
• For a free ride home within the city of San Francisco, call Luxor Cab at (415) 282?4141.

Salt. Tequila. Lime. Cab.

Rides are provided to an individual’s residence – not to other drinking locations. Due to the high number of ride requests on Cinco de Mayo, rides cannot be guaranteed for everyone who calls; however, every attempt will be made to accommodate all requests.

If you plan to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, remember to:

•    Always have a designated driver if alcoholic beverages are being served.

•    Provide non-alcoholic beverage choices if you are hosting a party.

•    Plan the day in advance and decide on your transportation alternative before going out.

If you know of any other places offering such services, get in touch so we can update our information.