Though it may well have been St. Patrick’s Day the last time you left your house, believe it or not, Cinco de Mayo is literally only a week away. Time flies when you never get dressed. And even though it’s highly unlikely any of us will be slamming tequila shots with strangers to commemorate the Battle of Puebla, the birthplace of the frozen margarita machine wants us all to celebrate anyway.
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Dallas Is Throwing a Virtual Cinco de Mayo Party for All of the United States
On Tuesday, May 5, Visit Dallas will be throwing, to our knowledge, the biggest Cinco de Mayo party in the world on its YouTube channel, dubbed the United States’ Official Cinco de Mayo Happy Hour. The event will run from 5:00 to 7:00 PM Central Time. Yes, they realize that’s 3:00 PM on the West Coast. They also realize time has been a pretty relative concept for the past six weeks.
Two chefs from the city’s vaunted Margarita Mile will host the happy hour: Dean Fearing of Fearing’s and Julian Rodarte of Beto & Son. During the event, you’ll learn all about the history of the margarita, the history of Cinco me Mayo, and maybe pick up a few mixology tips along the way.
Though the margarita has been around a long time, it wasn’t until 1971 that Dallas restaurateur Mariano Martinez — likely tired of his bartenders lying about the blender being broken every time someone ordered a frozen margarita — invented the frozen margarita machine. Since then, the machine has revolutionized how we drink margaritas, turning this once rocks-based drink into a slushy, poolside favorite.
Leaning into its sweet, tart, boozy history, Dallas launched the Margarita Mile app-based tour in 2018, encouraging guests to travel the city sampling creative margs from different landmark restaurants, visiting its diverse neighborhoods along the way.
Though you can’t really take Big D up on the offer right now, the hope is this Cinco party whets your appetite for when travel to Texas is a thing again.
“America’s Official Cinco de Mayo Happy Hour is our way of spreading margarita cheer from Dallas,” Visit Dallas Chief Marketing Officer Frank Librio said via a press release.
So fire up your frozen margarita machines, or just pick up a shaker next time you go to the grocery store. Cinco de Mayo isn’t completely canceled this year, and though you may be celebrating with a much smaller crowd than usual, at least all your tequila-based bad decisions won’t go much further than your front door. 