Want to bring a little south of the border into your home? Have a Cinco de Mayo party! Gathering your friends together to acknowledge the Mexican heritage and pride celebration is a great excuse to cook up a fiesta.

Mexican get-togethers are all about food and fun, so here are some tips to get the festivities started!

Tips for a Festive Cinco De Mayo

1. Decorate using bright, bold colors. Mix and match to your liking, because anything goes at a Mexican Cinco de Mayo fiesta! Maracas and piñatas add to the fun as well as provide some entertainment for your guests. For an authentic ambiance, play mariachi band music, or if you want your guests to dance, play some Red Hot Chili Peppers tunes!

2.  Get a big sombrero hat to use a centerpiece, which can also double as a chips and salsa bowl. Simply use the brim as a container to hold the chips and place a bowl of salsa or guacamole in the top indentation of the hat.

3. Turn up the heat on flavor. A Cinco de Mayo party isn’t complete without spicy Mexican fare such as salsa, guacamole, nachos, enchiladas, fajitas, tacos, quesadillas, taco salad and black beans. For dessert serve traditional flan, frozen margarita pie or add a little ground ancho chile pepper to chocolate cake mix for an added kick. No Cinco de Mayo fiesta would be complete without a few Mexican libations, so let the margaritas flow and serve up some tequila lime shooters with our recipe below. Your guests will love them!

Tequila Lime Shooters – To Celebrate Cinco De Mayo!

Ingredients:

• 12 limes
• 3 oz package of lime gelatin
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup tequila
• ½ cup Cointreau
• Coarse salt
• Mini muffin tin

Step 1: Boil water in a saucepan. Pour in the lime gelatin and stir until it is completely dissolved.

Step 2: Pour green liquid from the saucepan into a large measuring cup.

Step 3: Add the tequila and Cointreau into the measuring cup and stir.

Tip: Want to kick up the heat? Use a chile-infused tequila instead of regular tequila.

Step 4: Cut limes in half lengthwise and scoop out the pulp. If you cut the top and bottom of the central column (white line down the middle) the pulp will peel cleanly out of the skin when you pull it out.

Tip: Don’t throw that pulp away! Freeze the pulp with water and use the ice cubes in a refreshing summer drink or to enhance your water with a little citrus flavor.

Tips:

• If you have a melon baller, this will be a bit easier.
• Make sure not to cut a hole through the skin of the lime or the liquid will seep.

Step 5: Using the mini muffin tin, place the lime halves face up. Fill each lime to the top with the gelatin mixture.

Step 6: Place the muffin tin in the refrigerator until the gelatin is set.

Tip: It takes longer for the gelatin to congeal when you use alcohol, so it might be best to let it set overnight.

Step 7: Slice the limes into wedges. If your limes are small, cut them in half and if larger, into thirds.

Step 8: Sprinkle with salt and serve!

Share this recipe with anyone who likes to throw a Cinco de Mayo fiesta! These refreshing shooters will also be welcome at any backyard barbeque or outdoor summer party, so bring them along to your next gathering. Plus, check out all of our Mexican food ornaments that can be used for decorating for your Cinco de Mayo party or tie an ornament to a bottle of tequila for a fun hostess gift for a friend having a Mexican fiesta!