How to Host a Cinco de Mayo Neighborhood Barbecue

Since a Cinco de Mayo barbecue is an informal event, there are not hard and fast party guidelines or rules. Your responsibilities as host are the basics such as making sure there is plenty of food and drink.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Mexican beer
• Mexican food
• Non-alcoholic beverages

1. Offer plenty of Mexican food. Cinco de Mayo is, after all a celebration of the Mexican victory over the French, so have plenty of Mexican food to honor the meaning of the day such as, Guacamole, Quesadillas, Sopes and Empanadas.
2. Check your drink list. Choose Mexican beers such as Corona, Dos Equis and Modelo and for the non-beer drinkers, serve sangria and margaritas. Limit the amount of alcoholic beverages you plan on drinking. This will make sure that you are sober enough to an keep an eye on your guests and handle any unruly guests.
3. Keep an eye on the food. Watch for platters and trays that are getting low on food and replenish them. If the food is gone, remove the trays and platters.
4. Wish your guests good night. Toward the end of the night, it is a good idea to stand near the exits in order to say goodbye to as many guests as possible and to make sure that no one is driving when they shouldn't be.

Tips & Warnings

• Stop serving alcohol at least an hour before the party ends. Doing so will give your guests time to sober up and time for you to arrange for rides home for those that cannot drive. Arrange for designated drivers. Before the party begins, either ask a few of your non-drinker friends if they are willing to be the designated drivers for the night or arrange for cabs to drive the party-goers that have had a little too much to drink.
• Understand your liabilities as the Cinco de Mayo neighborhood barbecue host. If your guests get into an accident on the way home from your barbecue because they drank too much, you can potentially be held responsible. This fact should give you even more incentive to make sure your neighbors get home safely after drinking alcohol. Choose to serve a few high protein and high carbohydrate dishes. These dishes slow the rate of alcohol absorption.

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