Velas Resorts Press Room

From Tasting Menus and Poolside Celebrations to Cocktail Recipes You Can Make at Home, Flavorful Ways to Celebrate Cinco de Mayo Across Mexico and Beyond

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (April 22, 2025) - Velas Resorts invites guests to embrace the spirit of Cinco de Mayo with a lineup of unforgettable cultural experiences that honor Mexican heritage through taste, tradition, and creativity. From exclusive tasting menus to spa treatments inspired by the region, each resort offers a unique celebration filled with tradition.

Grand Velas Los Cabos: A Tribute to the Milpa and the Sea

At Grand Velas Los Cabos, guests are invited to indulge in a full day of Mexican flavor at Azul Restaurant, where the cuisine and décor will be themed around the cultural significance of Cinco de Mayo. By night, the award-winning Frida Restaurant will host a one-night-only tasting menu titled "The Treasures of the Milpa and the Sea," a culinary tribute to the richness of Mexican traditions and native ingredients. Each course reflects a regionally inspired story, offering a bold, immersive journey through Mexican culinary culture.

Frida's Cinco de Mayo Tasting Menu Highlights Include:

- Tribute to Corn: Insect mole, Tabasco plantain, farm-style fresh cheese, and purslane

- Frida in Puebla: Horse mackerel tiradito with authentic mole poblano, crispy raspada tostada from Jalisco

- From the Pacific: Chilmole, deep-sea red snapper chop, Maya salad, chorizo soil, and sourdough tortilla

- Flavors of Mexico: Buñuelos over rice pudding, guava gel, mamey ice cream, and piloncillo syrup

Velas Vallarta: Raise a Glass to Puebla with the "Puebla Fire" Cocktail

At Velas Vallarta, the celebration continues poolside with the debut of the "Puebla Fire", a cocktail inspired by the historical significance of the city of Puebla. Served around the pool and during the resort's Mexican dinner on Sunday, May 4, this bold drink blends heat, tradition, and sweetness in every sip. For those wanting to try the drink at home the hotel shares the recipe.

Puebla Fire Recipe:

- 1.5 oz Reposado Tequila (symbolizing Mexican spirit)

- 0.5 oz Ancho Chili Liqueur (for a fiery kick like the battle)

- 0.75 oz Fresh Lime Juice (refreshing and traditional)

- 0.5 oz Agave Syrup (a sweet reminder of victory)

- Chocolate or Mole Bitters (a nod to Puebla)

- Rim: Chili and Salt (the warrior's edge)

- All ingredients are mixed and served over ice.

Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit & Casa Velas: Margarita Moments

Guests at Casa Velas and Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit can toast to Cinco de Mayo with specially crafted margaritas served by the pool, each honoring the holiday with a sophisticated twist. Recipes are shared below for those who want to try at home.

5 de Mayo Margarita - Casa Velas

Created as a tribute to the Battle of Puebla, this margarita combines artisanal white Trujillo tequila and French Green Chartreuse, bringing together earthy, herbal, and citrus notes. Pineapple juice and cardamom berries add a tropical and aromatic complexity.

Recipe:

- 1.5 oz Tequila

- 0.5 oz Green Chartreuse

- 0.5 oz Lemon Juice

- 1 oz Pineapple Juice

- 0.5 oz Natural or Agave Syrup

- 4 Cardamom Berries

- Preparation: Lightly muddle cardamom berries and tequila in a shaker to release their essence. Add remaining ingredients with ice and shake vigorously. Double strain into a short glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with dehydrated lime or lemon and thyme branches.

Margarita Santa - Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit

A botanical-inspired margarita featuring hoja santa syrup and orange bitters, this cocktail balances citrus brightness with subtle herbal undertones. Hoja santa, also known as Mexican pepperleaf, is a culinary herb native to Mexico and South America.

Recipe:

- 1.5 oz 1921 Tequila Blanco

- 1 oz Hoja Santa Syrup

- Dash of Orange Bitters

- 0.5 oz Fresh Lime Juice (Green Lime)

- 0.5 oz Fresh Yellow Lemon Juice

- Preparation: Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add all ingredients. Shake vigorously for 10-15 seconds. Strain into a chilled glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a hoja santa leaf or lemon twist.

Grand Velas Riviera Maya: Ancestral Wellness

At Grand Velas Riviera Maya, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated not only through cuisine and culture, but also through ancestral wellness. In honor of the holiday, the award-winning SE Spa is offering 20% off its Páak'am Experience, an indulgent 80-minute treatment rooted in ancient Aztec healing traditions. Centered around Mexico's native prickly pear cactus, prized for its anti-aging, hydrating, and anti-inflammatory properties, the ritual begins with a traditional Mayan blessing honoring the four elements. Guests are then exfoliated with a sunflower cactus scrub, followed by a massage using warm nopal paddles and rosemary oil, allowing the cactus's vitamin-rich emollients to deeply nourish the skin. The experience concludes with a detoxifying cactus-based shot and fruit skewer. As one of only six spas in Mexico to earn a five-star rating from Forbes Travel Guide, SE Spa also features a seven-step Water Ceremony and a menu of regionally inspired treatments, offering a deeply immersive way to celebrate Mexican heritage this Cinco de Mayo. To further embrace the holiday, the resort will also offer a trio of bold and inventive margarita-inspired cocktails available at the resort and easily recreated at home.

Spicy Foam Recipe:

- 1 oz Mezcal 

- 0.5 oz Xtabentún (anise-flavored liqueur)

- 0.5 oz Fresh Lemon Juice 

- 10 ml Natural Syrup 

- 30 ml Bell Pepper Extract 

- Lemon and Poblano Chile Foam 

- Preperation: Shake mezcal, Xtabentún, lemon juice, syrup, and pepper extract with ice. Strain into a glass and top with foam. 

Daikiry Habanero Recipe: 

- 25 ml Fresh Lemon Juice 

- 1 oz Agave & Habanero Honey Syrup 

- 1 oz Amaretto 

- 1 oz White Rum 

- 2 dashes Orange Bitters 

- Miguelito Powder for the Rim 

- Preperation: Rim a glass with Miguelito powder. Shake all ingredients with ice, strain, and serve. 

Ha Xcatic Recipe: 

- 10 ml Fresh Lemon Juice 

- 30 ml Lillet Vermouth 

- 15 ml Strega Liqueur 

- 1 oz Xcatic Chile Syrup 

- 2 oz Mineral Water 

- Strip of Yellow Lemon Peel 

- Preparation: Combine lemon juice, vermouth, Strega, and chile syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain over a large square ice cube in a chilled glass. Top with mineral water and garnish with lemon peel.

For reservations or more information, call 1-888-407-4869, email reservations@velasresorts.com, or visit www.velasresorts.com.

About Velas Resorts:

Velas Resorts in Riviera Maya, Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit, and Los Cabos have earned 70 AAA Diamonds, including the prestigious Five Diamond Award. Other esteemed international awards for services and facilities include one MICHELIN Star for Cocina de Autor restaurant in both Los Cabos and Riviera Maya, Virtuoso's Best Family Program, Forbes Travel Guide Five Star Award for SE Spa, and TripAdvisor's Top Hotels in the World, among others. Offering unparalleled All-Inclusive experiences, properties include Grand Velas Los Cabos, with dramatic ocean views and unique spaces infusing every area of the resort; Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit, which enjoys a long stretch of pristine beach and a dramatic backdrop of the Sierra Madre mountains; and Grand Velas Riviera Maya, offering a sophisticated resort experience in the Caribbean with jungle and beach settings. Velas Vallarta is a family-friendly resort in Puerto Vallarta, offering spacious suites, gourmet dining, and spa treatments with ocean and Sierra Madre views on 10 beachfront acres along Banderas Bay. Casa Velas is a boutique adults-only hotel located on the Marina Vallarta Golf Course where guests have beach access at Táu Beach Club, a casual, relaxed atmosphere overlooking the ocean, with a jacuzzi, pool, delectable cuisine, and an expansive event space. Mar del Cabo, a boutique hotel on Mexico's Baja Peninsula, is the only European Plan property. Opened January 2024, Grand Velas Boutique Los Cabos is a new 79-suite resort and concept in the all-inclusive space. Velas Resorts was built by Eduardo Vela Ruiz, founder of Velas Resorts, with brother Juan Vela Ruiz, vice president of Velas Resorts, by his side. Explore tips, recipes, lifestyle and travel trends, and the latest news about Velas Resorts on the digital mag: www.velasmagazine.com.