Mexicans have their botanas con bebidas down to an art. Their street-food-inspired snacks and sips range from the elegantly spare slice of jicama tossed with lime juice and sprinkled with chile powder to dorilocos, where a pile of tortilla chips gets an outrageous overload of toppings from pickled pork rinds to peanuts.
Then there is guacamole. After carefully watching Mexican masters mash avocados tableside, I’ve learned there is no one way to make it. I have adopted a loose formula: smash a little white onion and garlic with coarse salt until pulpy in a molcajete or mortar (or in a blender, then transfer to a bowl); add minced fresh chiles to taste (usually green serranos or jalapeños but sometimes hydrated dried chiles such as fruity anchos or smoky chipotles, for their earthiness); add diced fresh tomatoes or tomatillos to balance the richness of the avocados, which are worked in until the mixture is both smooth and chunky. A flourish of chopped cilantro or mint and a squeeze of lime makes it irresistibly aromatic. Guacamole served with chips is the usual, but an audacious option is to scoop it with chicharrones. Yup, that’s pork rinds, crisp and slightly smoky — don’t judge it until you try it.
But at more refined gatherings, botanas are replaced by appetizers that take a step up in their assembly. Antojitos translate as “little whims” and are often built on corn tostadas.
The tuna tostada served by Mexico City chef Gabriela Cámara at her Contramar is elemental perfection: she sets lightly marinated raw tuna on a disc of crisp tortilla that’s smeared with homemade chipotle mayonnaise. It hits every note and texture; it packs heat and sweetness; it’s both crisp and tender. When I tested my version on a friend, she said, still chewing: “Make sure you tell them to add the herbs” — their aroma starts the whole dish off fabulously.
Alongside a complex bite like this one, tequila might be nice. And at our house, warmer weather used to signal the kickoff of the tequila sipping season. But since my husband, Robert, has become an enthusiast of its smoky cousin, mezcal, that’s become our more frequent pour. And while a well-balanced margarita is delightful, with antojitos we prefer our agave-based liquors in a mojito, replacing the usual rum. We often top it up with club soda or seltzer to lighten its potency.
One way to amplify the lime flavor in the mojito is to make a lime sugar by rubbing finely grated zest into sugar. This is nice to have on hand to add to the salt rim on a margarita or for dipping fruit like sliced mangoes or strawberries.
Before we start the Cinco de Mayo party that all of this suggests, I want to mention some misconceptions about the holiday. First, it’s not Mexico’s Independence Day (it was Sept. 16, 1810 when Mexico came out from under Spanish rule). In fact, May 5 is not a big deal at all in Mexico. Cinco de Mayo is an American holiday, created by American Latinos.
There was an important Mexican military victory on May 5 in 1862, when Mexican fighters defeated French colonial forces in the Battle of Puebla. This David-over-Goliath win thwarted the French in their intention to move in on Spain’s former colonial role. But among American Latinos what was important was that the French would have sided with the Confederacy in America’s Civil War.
The defeat of the French was a huge relief for pro-Union and anti-slavery Latinos in the Western territories and states. And Cinco de Mayo became their celebration of Mexican-American pride and commitment to liberation, abolition, and civil rights.
Knowing that bit of history has changed my mind about the day. It’s not just a brotastic bit of cultural appropriation. It’s a day that seems truly worth celebrating. And as always, I’m one for doing that with a snack and a sip.
A MEZCAL MOJITO
Makes one cocktail
10 to 12 mint leaves
2 to 3 tsp. lime sugar (see below)
1 to 2 tsp. agave syrup
Pinch salt
1¼ oz. lime juice
1½ oz. mezcal
Club soda, optional
Muddle the mint leaves with the sugar and salt in a cocktail shaker, highball, or similar glass until crushed and fragrant. Add the agave syrup, lime juice, and tequila or mezcal, add ice and shake or stir to chill evenly. Pour into a glass if you’ve mixed the drink in a shaker. Top with soda as desired and more mint sprigs and serve.
LIME SUGAR
Makes one half cup
½ cup sugar
Finely grated zest of 2 to 3 limes
Pour the sugar into a bowl. With your fingers blend the zest into the sugar until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Store in a sealed container.
TUNA TOSTADAS
Makes 6 tostadas
½ red onion, very thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. white wine or cider vinegar
Kosher or sea salt
½ cup mayonnaise, homemade or store bought
1 to 2 Tbsp. minced chipotles en adobo, or to taste
6 flat crisp-fried corn tortillas, store bought or homemade
3 Tbsp. fresh orange or tangerine juice
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
½ lb. sushi-quality tuna, thinly sliced
1 avocado, sliced
Cilantro leaves for the garnish
- Marinate the onions in a small bowl with the vinegar and salt, tossing to coat evenly. Set aside for at least 15 minutes and up to a day ahead.
- In another bowl, mix the mayonnaise with the chipotles en adobe, making sure to include some of the sauce from the can. Season with a pinch of salt. This benefits from being made ahead; keep up to a day, covered and refrigerated.
- When ready to assemble the tostadas, mix the citrus juice and soy sauce in a shallow bowl, slice the tuna into thin pieces, and add it to the soy mixture. Marinate for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Spread tostadas with chipotle mayonnaise, top with tuna slices, add the avocado slices and marinated onions, and top with fresh herbs.
