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We’ve pulled together some local essentials for a frolicking fiesta, just in time to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

Cinco de Mayo always warrants plenty of reasons to eat, drink and be muy alegre. The Mexican holiday on May 5 celebrates the victory over the French army at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, and 147 years later, it’s just as famous on this side of the border. What can we say? We like to throw parties.  

Margaritas, Anyone?
What better way to get the party started than with ice-cold margaritas? Pick up a bottle of 100 percent blue agave Tequila 3 Amigos, a product of the local Gonzalez family, whose farm is located near Los Altos in the Mexican state of Jalisco. The Gonzalez family has always practiced organic farming on its agave farm and recently completed the rigorous organic certification process. Choose the white blanco for crisp, clean-tasting margaritas. For a deeper flavor, choose the reposado (aged 11 months) or añejo (aged two years). We like the tart simplicity of two ounces of tequila, 1 ounce each of fresh Mexican lime juice and Cointreau, shaken and poured over ice in a small, salt-rimmed glass – strong but muy deliciosa. ($27-$36, AJ’s Fine Foods, BevMo)

Heat Things Up
To accompany those margaritas, we love the bold tomato and cumin flavors of T&D’s Now That’s Salsa ($5-$6, AJ’s Fine Foods, Whole Foods), available in puréed “restaurant style” or chunky, and in four heat levels: mild (barely spiced with yellow hot chiles); medium (peppy kick from jalapeños); hot (jalapeños and a hint of habañero); or the off-the-chart XXX-Hot, with three times the amount of jalapeños and habañeros. For us, the medium is plenty spicy and a feisty match for our favorite Sweet Potato Corn Tortilla Chips from Tempe-based Vegetas ($4.69, Whole Foods). Made from stone-ground corn and sweet potatoes, these sturdy, earthy chips are tasty on their own, but they complement the cumin-spiced salsa perfectly.

Rock the Guac
If you’ve ever eaten store-bought guacamole, you’ve probably been disappointed. Nothing compares to fresh-made guac, so imagine our surprise – and delight – when we discovered the guacamole at the Mexican restaurant and market
La Tolteca ($2.69, 8 ounces). Made fresh daily, this guacamole tastes just like the homemade kind, with ripe avocados, minced onions and a healthy dose of lime juice and cilantro. While you’re there, pick up a handful of colorful pan dulces (sweet, yeasty breads) or the moist, caramel-flavored tres leche (three milk) cake from the in-house bakery.

Flour Power
The gargantuan flour tortillas from Carolina’s are legendary in these parts, but we’ve found another favorite: the plate-size Tortillas De Harina from Ranch Market ($1.49 per dozen). We’re just as happy making cheese quesadillas as we are wrapping burritos with these thin, tender disks of flour. And was that the America’s Taco Shop truck we spotted carting off dozens of them last Saturday morning? Guess we’re not the only fans.

Set the Scene
The colorful party supply store Dulceria Pico Rico offers one-stop shopping for Mexican-themed paper plates, cups and napkins as well as other indispensable party decorations. The ceiling is covered in all kinds of colorful piñatas (large ones run $25 to $30), and we even found miniature bull piñatas for $3 (party favors?). The back of the store is a virtual Mexican Willy Wonka factory with enough south-of-the-border candy to satisfy any sweet tooth. Mexamigo’s Pot World is the place for more permanent Mexican party adornments, with a plethora of inexpensive Mexican blankets, serving platters, glassware and table settings – in short, everything you need to stage a smashing Mexican fiesta.

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RESOURCES

Tequila 3 Amigos
623-536-3201 3amigostequila.com
Available at AJ’s Fine Foods and BevMo

T&D’s Now That’s Salsa
602-578-0301
tanddsalsa.com
Available at AJ’s Fine Foods
and Whole Foods

Vegetas
888-966-9660
vegetas.com
Available at Whole Foods

La Tolteca
1205 E. Van Buren St., Phoenix
602-253-1511
latoltecamex.com

Ranch Market
1602 E. Roosevelt St., Phoenix
602-254-6676
prosranch.com

Dulceria Pico Rico
2533 N. 16th St., Phoenix
602-253-5610

Mexamigo’s Pot World
17404 N. Cave Creek Road, Phoenix
602-404-0742
mexamigofurniture.com/potworld.htm