Cinco actually marks victory in the Battle of La Puebla.

So, I celebrate by contemplating

La Margarita Perfecta,

con mucho tequila,

y jugo de limon fresca

para hacerme tranquila.

(recipe below)

Cinco de Mayo makes me miss these perfect cocktails

and so many other things associated with my native San Antonio:

Volver Volver,

Cuando Caliente El Sol,

hablando espanol,

bailando la polka,

la comida, la comida, la comida!

Fiesta,

$4 enchiladas (if you know where to go),

homemade tortillas,

The Battle of Flowers Parade,

But, most of all, La Cultura Mexicana,

that held and surrounded me

como familia.

The translation, for those who cannot bear my barely passable Spanish, is this: a Margarita is so much more. it represents my origin. I’m not Hispanic, but thanks to where I grew up, I have a history that is rich, and full and beautiful, and I never felt like I didn’t belong.

 By the way, the recipe for the Margarita is as follows:

1/3 Tequila, 1/3 fresh lime juice or Rosie’s Lime Juice

and 1/3 Triple Sec, or Grand Marnier if you are going high- brow.

 This very recipe

mysteriously caused my neighbor’s swimming

pool and back yard to be submerged in drifts

of bubbles 5 feet high– like Estee Lauder scented snow.

It started in their hot- tub

and spread like Ebola, and was one heck of a fiesta.

Let the Fiesta begin!