Today is Cinco de Mayo, but really the celebrations in Sydney stretch all week long.
While there’s no parade in Sydney, no obvious sign of one of Mexico’s biggest annual celebrations, you’ll find the upbeat, festive mood buried in the rowdy Tequila bars that are dotted around town.
Tequila bars weren’t as popular when we had sorely-missed favourites like Mr Moustache in Bondi, but things have changed dramatically over the past few years. You’re more likely to hear “Margarita please” then note any orders for US staples like an Old Fashioned or Sidecar. This is because a Marg has become such a trendy cocktail that it’s basically a requisite to knock a few back on Cinco de Mayo.
The Butler
If you want to take your margaritas with a side of South American plates and pristine Sydney CBD views, then try land on the beautiful outdoor terrace at Potts Point favourite The Butler. From now until Sunday, May 10, the colourful restaurant is offering a special Cinco de Mayo crudo platter for $88 per two people, showcasing local freshies like QLD lobster salad with spiced ancho mayo, sweetcorn and caviar, and Tiger abalone with yuzu kosho, cucumber jalapeno and aguachile.
You’ll want to slosh around some Margs to get into the festive spirit as well. Lucky then; the bar is also doing a Margarita Tasting Flight for $28 each, featuring tasters of The Butler’s signature styles including classic, spicy and a few seasonal stunners.
Address: 123 Victoria St, Potts Point NSW 2011
Opening Hours: Monday – Tuesday (4pm – 11pm); Wednesday – Thursday (12pm – 11pm); Friday – Saturday (12pm – 12am); Sunday (12pm – 10pm)
Cantina OK!
Truth be told, most of the best bars around Sydney will make you an excellent margarita. It’s pretty much a requisite for a bartender to know how to perfectly build this archetypal cocktail. So then it all comes down to atmosphere, and this standing-room-only bar has that in spades.
Cantina OK! took Mucho Hospitality Group’s star and ran with it, shaping Sydney’s bar scene towards something locals can be proud of, and one that competes toe-to-toe with those folks down in Melbourne. The late-night haunt is always a presence on the World’s 50 Best Bars list each year, so this is easily one of the best places to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in Sydney. If you can get in, that is.
Address: Council Pl, Sydney NSW 2000
Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday (4pm – 2am)
Centro 86
Billed as an “Extra-Ordinary Margarita Bar”, Centro 86 is one of the major hotspots for Mucho Hospitality Group, who have fast become Sydney’s most reliable barkeeps where Tequila is concerned. Proof? Well, they also run the smaller-than-small Cantina OK!, which is often noted as one of the world’s best bars, Newtown’s equally popular Bar Planet, and the pioneering Tio’s Cerveceria.
If you’re looking for a stiff, beautifully built after-work margy for Cinco de Mayo hen this is one of the better choices out there. The stylish bar arrives last year, gutting a Priceline basement just off Pitt Street and turning it into a dazzling, green-washed bar that has the distinct edge of Mexico City mixed up with Sydney’s increasingly high design standards.
Just like an Irish pub is the place to be on St Patrick’s Day, simply because of the atmosphere, you can’t go wrong once you turn into Hoskin Lane and climb on down to this Latino-everything bolthole.
Note that although Cinco de Mayo is celebrated on the Monday, most bars extend the party right up until this weekend. So while Centro 86 is closed for the actual celebration, you’ll find it pumping all week long from Tuesday to Saturday.
Address: 86-88 Pitt St, Sydney NSW 2000
Opening Hours: Tuesday (4pm – 12am); Wednesday – Saturday (4pm – 2am)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Cinco de Mayo?
Cinco de Mayo wasn’t always just an ordained excuse to sip on as much margaritas and down all the tacos possible. The day is celebrated because it commemorates a great victory for the Mexican army when they quashed Napoleon III’s Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1962.
The major celebration happens in the City of Pubela, where the battle takes place, but historically it’s been celebrated all over Mexico and the US. Australians don’t like to be left out (although, due to distance, we sometimes are) so you’ll find plenty of festive things to do across the country as all the Tequila bars take it upon themselves to shoulder the event.
Is Cinco de Mayo the same as Mexican Independence Day?
Not at all. Cindo de Mayo has never been associated with Mexican Independence Day, but confusing the two celebrations is a common mistake. While any liberated country’s independence day is the biggest cause for celebration of its respective culture around the world, Mexico’s liberation day lands on September 16.
That’s the date of the Grito de Dolores of Father Miguel Hidalgo, who inspired the Mexican patriots to overthrow the rule of Spain.
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