Today is the 5th of May, aka Cinco de Mayo in spanish. Today is the day where celebrating Mexican-American culture is on the forefronts of our minds. But, do you know, why this date is so important for Mexico?
Many of us confuse this day with Mexican Independence Day held on 16th September, in fact Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over the French forces in the Battle of Puebla at 5th May 1862.
Here at Indigenous Bartender, we love a Mexican delicacy called rosella, also known as a hibiscus, which is very common across South East Asia. To celebrate Cinco de Mayo and Mexican culture, we created the following cocktail recipe:.
Cocktail Recipe-Rosella Margarita
60 ml Good 100% agave blanco tequila
15 ml rosella & vanilla syrup*
25 ml fresh lime juice
Shake all ingredients together and serve over ice in rocks glass garnished with rosella salt**.
*Rosella & Vanilla syrup
Combine 20g of dried hibiscus flowers together with 1 vanilla pod and bring to boil in 400 ml in still water. Once boiling, bring the temperature down and keep cooling it for another 5 min. Strain the flowers & vanilla, add 400 grams of caster sugar and stir until dissolved. Take of the heat and cool down, bottle and keep refrigerated. Syrup will last up to a month.
**Rosella salt
Combine 1 part of salt to 2 parts of dried rosella in blender and blitz into small pieces. Once done keep in a dry place. To apply it to the cup, use a lime wedge to get the glass rim wet for the rosella salt to stick.
Bartender’s note: Watch out for the next article about Hibiscus!
The Indigenous Bartender 
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