Articles
Originally published on Tuesday, 1st November 2011
Cazadores Dia de los Muertos House Party
As you probably know by now, it’s Dia de los Muertos season! At last! The traditional Mexican celebration of the dearly departed – which manages to be more colourful, authentic, fun, and generally less ubiquitous than same-old, same-old Halloween. Our DDLM party is at Circus tomorrow night, but if you want to celebrate at home, the below will give you all the elements for an authentic party.
From the perfect cocktails for the occasion from tequila tastemakers, Cazadores, to a quick how-to on dressing your home for that authentic DDLM vibe, here’s the UJ rundown of how to throw the ultimate Dia de los Muertos fiesta en su casa.
DRINK
What’s a DDLM soiree with out Cazadores tequila? With that in mind, treat your guests to the classic Cazadores Margarita.
50ml Cazadores Reposado
25ml Freshly-squeezed lime juice
15ml Cointreau triple sec
10 ml Agave syrup
Mix all four ingredients in a cocktail shaker, fill with ice and shake hard. Strain into a short glass filled with ice cubes and garnish with a slice of lime. TheDrinkShop.com are offering UJ readers 15% discount when you buy the ingredients for a Cazadores Margarita from them. Click here to view the offer. *Note the discount has already been applied to the total, there is no voucher code. They also offer next day delivery service on all their products.
EAT
El Camion, 25 - 27 Brewer Street, W1F 0RR - 0207 734 7711
El Camion, 272 Portobello Road, W10 5TY - 0208 960 8556
What’s a Mexican fiesta without some prime food to soak up the atmosphere? Drop by El Camion in Soho or Portobello (or get them to deliver if you live nearby) and stock up on all the essentials: botanas like tortillas doused in guacamole and salsa, jalapeño peppers, ceviche and chicharrones (Mexican-style pork scratchings). If you are feeding the masses, go for a spread of shredded pork and pinto bean nachos, and plenty of chipotle and pico de gallo. Or go homemade for even fresher flavours: Thomasina Miers’s brilliant ‘Mexican Food Made Simple’ should help you out.
SHOP
House of Guadalupe, Camden Lock, Digwells Gallery, NW1 8AF
Now, we know you probably know how to dress your flat for the occasion, but just to get your started, here are some top tips:
To imbue your home with some real Dia de los Muertos flavour, start by creating your own temporary altar with necklaces of Mexican Marigold flowers and flickering church candles clustered in mismatched sizes, then turn the lights down low to get things started. Scatter any and all available surface with catrina skeletons and sugar skulls in golds, reds, purples and of course plenty of black. Pop into Mexican folk art shop, The House of Guadalupe, in Camden Lock for supplies, or if you’d rather order online, Viva La Frida has a massive selection of Papel Picado decorations, skulls and Milagros.
PLAYLIST
The friends are arriving in their DDLM finery; the nachos and burritos are going down nicely; the Margaritas are flowing freely … now for the tunes – and once again we’ve got you covered. Download our exclusive Cazadores Dia de la Muertos House Party podcast by Will Besant of PAX, with Mexican-themed tracks like Down in Mexico by The Coasters, The Lonely Bull, South of the Border and of course that old classic: Tequila! Crank the volume just enough to raise the vibe and you should be good to go.
Play.
So there you have it: music, food, cocktails, and décor. Happy Dia de los Muertos!
