Entertaining for Cinco de Mayo? Surprise your guests with unexpected twists on the usual tequila cocktails. Go for the gold with a Grand Margarita featuring Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge, an exceptional blend of fine cognac and bitter orange liqueur. Infuse your own tequila with Patron Silver and fresh jalapeño to spice up a special blood orange or beet juice margarita. Experiment with smoky mezcal, herbaceous Amaro Montenegro, or Sorel, a unique hibiscus liqueur with an exotic blend of clove, cassia, ginger and nutmeg. Or forget margaritas altogether by mixing up Mexico’s #1 favorite: the refreshing Paloma and her “skinny” sister recipe. And for a sweet taste of history, rediscover the iconic La Batanga featuring Mexican Coca Cola and stirred with a knife to honor the drink’s creator, Don Javier of the La Capilla bar in Tequila, Mexico.  GRAND MARGARITA.75 parts Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge 1.5 parts Tequila.75 parts Fresh Lime Juice.25 parts Agave NectarLime wheel to garnishSalt optional METHOD: Fill a wide, shallow dish with 2-3 mm of fine salt. Cut a lime in half at the width and rub around half of the rim of a margarita glass. Cut a thin, crosswise slice from one of the lime halves for garnish. Holding glass upside down, dip wet half delicately into the salt. Shake Grand Marnier, tequila and lime juice with ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into glass and apply lime garnish to the rim.SPICY MARGARITA1.5 oz PATRÓN Silver infused with jalapeño*.5 oz Flavor Puree (blood orange, mango or fresh beet)3 oz Lime JuiceSalt rimLime wedge and sliced jalapeño for garnishMETHOD: Combine all liquid ingredients over ice in a shaker. Shake well and strain into a salt-rimmed double old fashioned glass.*To infuse Patrón Silver with jalapeño, place two whole jalapeños (cut down the middle, with the seeds removed) into the bottle of Patrón and let it rest for 12 hours.THE PEOPLE’S MARGARITA2 oz. Teremana Blanco.75 oz. Lime Juice.5 oz. Agave Nectar1 oz. Pineapple JuiceLime wheelMETHOD: Shake with ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a lime wheel, pineapple leaves & sea salt (as desired).DEVIL’S MARGARITA.5 oz Sorel1.5 oz Blanco Tequila1 oz fresh lime juice.75 simple syrupMETHOD: Combine all ingredients in a shaker over ice. Shake well. Strain into coupe or martini glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.  LA BATANGA1.5 oz El Tequileño Blanco.25 oz Lime JuiceTop with Mexican Coca ColaMargarita Salt (or coarse salt)METHOD: Salt the rim of a highball glass and fill it with ice. Add El Tequileño Blanco and lime juice. Top with cola. Stir with a knife to keep it authentic to the 1964 recipe’s creator. Garnish with a lime wheel.See AlsoCAZADORES PALOMA2 oz Tequila Cazadores Blanco1 oz Fresh Lime Juice4 oz Grapefruit Soda1 Pinch SaltMETHOD: Add all ingredients into a salted highball glass filled with ice. Stir with a spoon. Garnish with a lime wedge.SKINNY PALOMA1 part Dulce Vida Grapefruit Tequila3 Parts Topo Chico or Club SodaSplash Fresca or Zero Lemon Lime SodaSqueeze of fresh limeLime garnishMETHOD: Add all ingredients into a salted highball glass filled with ice. Stir with a spoon. Garnish with a lime wedge.MONTE & MEZCAL2 oz Amaro Montenegro 2 oz mezcal METHOD: Fill a glass with ice, preferable 1 large cube. Pour the Amaro Montenegro and mezcal in the glass and stir to mix. Garnish with an orange twist. # # #Vicki ArkoffBased in Los Angeles, Vicki Arkoff is an Editor at Large for JustLuxe and a founding editor for Holiday Goddess, the online destination for chic women travelers from the editors of Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Grazia, Conde Nast Traveler, and BBC. Her travel and lifestyle reports can also be been seen in Atlas Obscura, The Awesomer, DaySpa, The Chicago Tribune, CNN Travel, JustLuxe, Lonely Planet, Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, Toronto Star, WellSpa 360, WestJet Magazine, Where Traveler, Where Guestbook, Yahoo News, and dozens more. She’s co-author of the bestselling Holiday Goddess books (HarperCollins and iTunes) including ‘The Holiday Goddess Guide to Paris, London, New York, Rome,’ a travel Top 10 staple. As editor, Vicki’s other books include ‘Sinatra’ (DK), ‘Inside Mad’ (Time-Life) and ‘Virgin Los Angeles’ (Virgin Books). She is one of the Usual Gang of Idiots for MAD Magazine, an entertainment reporter (Daily Variety, Entertainment Weekly, Los Angeles Magazine, CREEM), and authorized biographer for pop culture icons from the Beach Boys to Beastie Boys, Paul McCartney to MC Hammer.