I saw the perfect greeting card to send to a friend for Cinco de Mayo. It simply said: “Tequila. Because dignity is overrated.”

I have stories. Oh, man, do I have stories. Some involve me and Mardi Gras beads and a night spent curled up on the floor of our resort’s bathroom in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. That was a long, long time ago, and I’ve blocked out most of that. Some involve a friend and embarrassingly bad diving board pictures on the 4thof July. Her children are scarred for life. Another friend fell down after her initiation with tequila shots. And I’m not talking a teenager here, but an upstanding 49 year-old woman whose text from her husband the next day said, “Hey party girl.”

My cousin says my margaritas make her lips numb. Even my husband took out an aloe plant and a bougainvillea with tequila involvement. But, what can I say? When in Mexico…

I personally love the smoky taste of tequila. A good sipping tequila, an anejo or aged tequila can be as lovely as an old brandy. The margaritas served in most Mexican restaurants call for a sour mix of some kind, which totally destroys a margarita. These are not drinks to be pounded, but to be sipped, savored and enjoyed, preferably looking at an azure sea and breaching whales, which was my view as I wrote this. A bowl of guacamole doesn’t hurt, either. So if you want to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, or the date observed to commemorate the Mexican Army’s unlikely victory over the French Empire on May 5, 1862, I have a couple of recipes for you.

First, let’s start with the margarita. If you spring for a bottle of Siete Leguas Blanco don’t you dare make a mixed drink with it; the tequila federales will be at your house to arrest you. That is a premiere sipping tequila and a superb gift to a tequila connoisseur. Use a good, solid tequila like Hornitos, Sauza, 1800, or even Jose Cuervo Gold to make a good margarita, although blanco (white) will hurt less than gold if you have multiple drinks. And this recipe calls for a pour count vs. a measurement. Have fun with this; you’ll feel like a real bartender.

Classic Margarita

For one drink:

4 key limes or 1 regular (Persian) lime

Tequila

Naranja Liqueur (if you can find it) or Triple Sec (Cointreau is my favorite)

Ice

Coarse Salt

Halve all of the limes.

Run a lime half around the rim of your margarita glass or rocks glass to wet the rim.

Place the coarse salt in a small plate and dip the rim of your glass in the salt. Skip this step if you don’t want a salt rim.

Squeeze the limes into the margarita or rocks glass using a citrus press.

Pour the tequila into the glass for a count of 6.

Pour the Naranja or Triple Sec into the glass for a count of 6.

Stir. Add ice to fill the glass and let sit for a moment to chill.

Garnish with a lime wedge. Enjoy carefully.

The Only Guacamole You’ll Ever Need

2 ripe avocados (plan ahead – you can’t always find ripe ones on a whim)

2 key limes or 1 regular (Persian) lime

Salt

Halve the avocado and remove the pit.

Scoop avocado flesh into a bowl and mash.

Add limejuice and continue to mash until smooth.

Add salt to taste.

Yes, that’s all there is to it. Serve with fresh salsa – chopped tomatoes, onions, cilantro and limejuice – and the best tortilla chips you can find. Then pretend you’re in Mexico watching the whales under the warm sun, maybe sitting next to a cactus.

And that hangover? Worry about it mañana.

Deborah