Growing up in Los Angeles amongst family and friends of Mexican heritage, Cinco de Mayo was always one of my favorite holidays of the year. The city lit up with cultural pride, amazing food, endless dancing, and, of course, margaritas. Although it’s been years since I’ve celebrated the joyous holiday in L.A., I still make a point to raise a glass (preferably a salt-rimmed one) to the occasion wherever I am. And since I have had my share of the classic, ice-blended margarita, I’m always on the lookout for innovated takes on the traditional drink to serve as my Cinco de Mayo centerpiece. Well lucky for me and you, Patrón Tequila has done all the leg work this year. The brand set out to find margarita drinkers’ favorite style of this ubiquitous, and often misunderstood, classic cocktail and name the 2016’s Margarita of the Year. Patrón enlisted the help of seven top bartenders from across the U.S. and Mexico to create recipes for seven different styles of margaritas – herbal, spicy, smoky, savory, modern, tropical, and classic. The styles were meant to represent the diversity of this classic cocktail and showcase it’s inherent complexity. Tens of thousands of votes were cast and the spicy recipe, the Rosa Picante Margarita created by Jordan Corney of San Antonio, was officially named the 2016 Margarita of the Year. This delectable concoction is a fresh take on the classic jalapeno margarita, featuring hints of rose, ginger, and lime. Sounds interesting, no? Well, for the sake of science I decided to mix up a batch of these intriguing cocktails and see what all the fuss was about…
In preparation, I half-rimmed a chilled coupe glass with rose sea salt by first wetting the area of the glass with a lime wedge and then dipping the glass half in the salt. Then in a cocktail shaker, I combined 2 ounces of Patrón Silver, 0.5 ounces of Patrón Citrónge Lime, 1 ounce of squeezed lime juice, 0.5 ounces of ginger syrup, and 1 bar spoon of jalapeño oil. I threw in some ice and then shook that baby up like a maracas. I strained it into the salted coupe glass and toped it off with a dash of rose water. With the final touch of a single rose petal, the Rosa Picante Margarita was complete. 
It was time to sip! I kid you not, this was one of the smoothest, most complex drinks I’ve ever had. At first you taste a hint of spicy citrus (the jalapeno, ginger, and lime!) and then you’re cooled off with soothing rose. It was the perfect balance of all the flavors without being overwhelming. And with the stealthy smoothness of Patrón Silver at it’s core, the Rosa Picante Margarita is not for the faint of heart… it was a deceptively strong cocktail, worthy of small indulgent sips throughout a celebration. Not only are these going to be the centerpiece of this year’s Cinco de Mayo party at my house, I think these might just become my go-to hostess cocktail. Stunningly delicious! 
Oh and one last thing! Here’s a little party decor trick I like to employ when the night’s signature drink is particularly fabulous (like the Rosa Picante Margarita!). Make a batch of the drink before guests arrive and place them around the room as edible decor. As an example, I’ve cleared off my wall shelves and placed the finished margaritas amongst my Cinco de Mayo decorations. Not only does this serve as sort of interactive party design, it makes for one cool concept that your guests will love. 
To learn more about the Patrón Margarita of the Year visit the brand’s website here and follow along with #MargaritaoftheYear on your social media sites. Also visit patronmixer.com/cinco for more Patrón recipes that are perfect for your Cinco de Mayo celebration. Now if you don’t mind, I need to get back to my drink… I mean, “job”. Cheers! I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
