Cocktails in Cancun

There's been a lot of talk about tequila, mezcal and cerveza, when it comes to alcoholic beverages in Mexico. But this is not the whole story by any stretch of the imagination.

In Cancún, the undisputed Party Capital of the country, the visitors want more and Cancún delivers! Just check out some of the exotic, fun cocktails on offer here, then imagine sipping them, on a white sand beach overlooking the clear blue Caribbean. Now you're on vacation!



Practically every bar and hotel has its own signature cocktail, as evidenced by the Melon Monkey demonstrated, in the above film, by bar-tenders at the Cancún Palace. However, there are also bespoke cocktail bars aplenty. Naturally Boulevard Kukulcan is where the discerning tourist will find the majority of them. Sunset Bar (km 20); Caña Brava (km 7.5); Pat O' Brien's Cancún (km 11.5); Rendez Vous (km 14); and Beach Bar (km 16.5) are just a handful of them.

They range in reputation and price from the high end of the market down to budget. For example, somewhere like Rendez Vous or Gustino is going to tap your pocket a whole lot more than, say, the Pool Bar at Holiday Inn. But they are catering to a different clientele and who can say which is best? The fair thing would be for us to have a cocktail in each, then decide on own personal taste, just before passing out at the end.



Inevitably, there had to be a cocktail named for the whole city and yes! It does exist! The Cancún Cocktail should be served in a highball glass, filled with crushed ice. Then add in the ingredients, one by one:

1/2 oz amaretto almond liqueur
1/2 oz banana liqueur
1/2 oz coconut rum
cream
5 - 6 oz pineapple juice

Serve with a flourish and sip. This caters for one. Just double each measurement for two, and so on, until your entire party is getting a taste of Cancún.



Sorry, did we say one eponymously named Cancún Cocktail? There is a pretender to the title, so make that two! The second version is served in a hurricane glass, again filled with ice.

1/2 oz Dark rum
1/2 oz Peach Schnapps
Fresh orange juice
Fresh pineapple juice
Fresh papaya juice
Garnish with tropical fruits

Once again, the quantity there is for one, so multiply it all by the number of people here to sup!



With such a choice on offer, it's not unusual to find people on personal quests to sample them all. Blogger Candice, of 'Candice Does the World', gave it a good go, then reported back in her blog entry: 'The Cocktails of Cancun'. Here are a couple of her conclusions:

1. Xtabentún – A liqueur made solely in the Yucatan from anise seed and fermented honey. It sounds all sweet and docile, but I assure you this drink packs a punch. Like tequila, but maybe with more bruises...

4. The Julio Loco – A drink specifically developed at the Cancun Caribe Park Royal Grand resort, it’s a daunting (but pretty!) mixture of crushed ice, mango and chocolate. By the time we left Cancun, the drink had caught on and was spreading like wildfire.

Visit her blog to read the rest. Happy drinking!

The Star That Comes in the Afternoon

Quetzalcoátl's gift of chocolate has been referred to a couple of times this week. To end our theme of Mexico and chocolate, it is worth getting the full story. Pause now and get yourself a brimming, frothy, hot chocolate. Savour the taste, then sit back and enjoy. It is story-line.


Quetzalcoátl came to Earth in the afternoon. He had been seen before, of course, up in the sky, represented by the star that we now call Venus. But this was the first time that He had deigned to step on the ground and walk amongst humanity. The people stopped and stared. It was obvious that He was a God. No mere man looked like that!

Some Gods, when they come to Earth, do so disguised as carpenter's sons or travellers on the road. The point is that they blend in (give or take a penetrating stare and an aura of other). Not so Quetzalcoátl. He was a God, so He came as a God, with all the trappings of Godliness and symbolical items of office clutched in His Godly hands. It was all a bit disconcerting for a sunny afternoon; but, on the bright side, at least He hadn't arrived in His aspect of the man-devouring feathered serpent.


Imagine that same scene now. A bona fide God turning up in a shopping mall, or appearing in a flash of light, in the middle of a games stadium. Human beings aren't good with coming face to face with deity. They tend to either prostrate themselves or else attack, as a mob, and crucify their God. The ancient Toltecs were not much different to us. Self-preservation took over and they took the prostrating themselves option.

Moreover, they had that horrible moment, when they realised that their icons to other Gods were on full view. A few minutes smashing up clay pots and statues and the place was downright God-free. Obviously give or take the huge, live one, standing in the middle of their town. But, while this might have been good for Quetzalcoátl and good manners on the part of the people, there were other beings who were not at all impressed. The other Gods for a start.


Sometimes it's good politics to side with the flavour of the month, even if He was a usurper responsible for yourself being side-lined. One by one, the other Gods and Goddesses lined up to welcome Quetzalcoátl and to acknowledge Him as their leader. In response, Quetzalcoátl told them to teach the people nice things, like how to grow corn successfully and how to measure the march of the constellations.

The Toltec people immediately made plans for a huge temple to be built in Quetzalcoátl's honor. It would be their biggest architectural endeavour to date and it would tower over every other building in their town. It would have five sides to represent the five-pointed star, that was Quetzalcoátl in the sky. Atlantes warrior statues guarded its frontage and summit. (The remains of it survive to this day, at Tula de Allende, Hidalgo, in Mexico, where it is, unsurprisingly, called the Temple of Quetzalcoátl.)


Even now, the other Gods and Goddesses were merely seething, but then Quetzalcoátl went a step too far. To celebrate His temple, He asked for a cup of chocolate. The human population were nonplussed. They had never heard of this wonder. But the deities most certainly had. Chocolate was the drink of the Gods. It came from the beans of the cacao tree, which only grew in the Garden of Life. No human had access to them. "Oh!" said Quetzalcoátl, "We'll soon fix that!" And off he went to collect the beans and a few trees.

The deities present exchanged shocked glances. He was really going to allow mere mortals to taste the sacred drink?!

Quetzalcoátl did more than that. He taught the people how to cultivate the trees and process the beans, so that they could produce a plentiful supply of chocolate. It was an amazing coup for the people. It was war for the Gods.

They were organized by Tezcatlipoca, the God of Darkness and Night. He had his allies in the Tzitzimimeh, the all-female, humanity-devouring star dwellers. His ire had already infected them and they were just looking for an excuse to attack Quetzalcoátl. Tezcatlipoca came to Earth, in the guise of a spider, and entered Toltec country. There he altered his form again, blending in as a travelling merchant. He quickly found Quetzalcoátl and enquired after his health.

"I'm a bit down actually." Quetzalcoátl informed him. "I think that the other Gods and Goddesses are plotting against me."

"Surely not!" The God of Darkness and Night replied. "But I have just the person to cheer you up."

Thus Tezcatlipoca introduced Quetzalcoátl to Mayahuel and... well, that story has already been told: Mezcal.


Quetzalcoátl returned to the stars after that, allowing the other Gods and Goddesses to regain their former prominence in the hearts of the people. But Quetzalcoátl would always be special for the Mexicans. He left behind him chocolate, tequilia, corn and knowledge of the night skies. It's a gift that we're still very much enjoying.

Mezcal

Ask anyone to name a Mexican alcoholic drink and the answer will come back, "¡Tequila!" Ask for a second and the response is most likely to be, "¡Mezcal!"


The two tipples have many similarities, not least that they are both exported around the world, as Mexico's contribution to drinks cabinets globally. (The Prague Post, in the Czech Republic, is currently featuring a Mezcal based cocktail recipe: 'From the Bartender: Mezcalihna'.) The USA and Japan remain the biggest buyers of Mezcal from Mexico.

Tequila and Mezcal are also both distilled from the agave plant. In fact, the name Mezcal is derived from the Nahuatl words, 'Melt' and 'Ixcalli', which translate as 'oven-cooked agave'. In this way, tequila is a form of Mezcal too, though it tends to be considered separately. This is where the drinks start to diverge. Tequila is made from blue agave and it is twice fermented. Mezcal is made from maguey agave and it is only fermented once.


Milking a Maguey Plant
The maguey agave plant is huge. It can stand up to 2m (6.6ft) tall, with thick, spreading leaves reaching out another 4m (13ft). When it is in flower, the petals stretch a further 8m (26ft). With such a towering structure, even the younger plants can dwarf a human being. It's an impressive sight and it has attracted its legends and folklore too.

Maguey is often referred to as the Divine Plant; in great part because it was born from the remains of the Goddess Mayahuel. The story comes to us from the Atzec people, who honored her as one of their most important deities. There are carvings of Her in the Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City). She is associated with truth, fertility, nourishment, inner journeys and, of course, the agave plant.

Mayahuel lived in the sky, with her Tzitzimitl grandmother. The all female, warrior Tzitzimimeh were seen as stars, particularly those only apparent around the sun, during a solar eclipse. This was also when they were most dangerous.

Ordinarily, the Tzitzimimeh were the protectoresses of women; but they also created all mankind. Particles of stardust reached the Earth and formed themselves into humanity. (Interestingly enough, it is now scientific fact that life on Earth is possible because of the elements forged in the stars.)

However, when there was a solar eclipse, the Tzitzimimeh could descend to Earth and devour human beings.

Mayahuel grew up amongst them, but She, Herself, was not Tzitzimitl. Yet, from Her home in the starry paradise of Tamoanchan, She could watch all that happened below and all who lived there. She could also see the Gods and Goddesses. In particular, She spotted the feathered serpent God, Quetzalcoatl. Mayahuel fell in love. At the very next solar eclipse, as the doors of Tamoanchan opened to emit the Tzitzimimeh on their deadly pillage, Mayahuel rushed out too.

The lovers met and ran away together, determined to live out all eternity in each other's arms. But no-one had asked the permission of the Tzitzimimeh and they saw everything. The couple transformed themselves into trees, side by side, to escape notice. It was too late. They had been seen. The star deities swooped down and tore Mayahuel limb from limb.

Quetzalcoatl tearfully took her remains and buried them in the ground. Immediately something began to push back through the soil. It was the first, mighty maguey plant, with a glorious flower reaching back towards the skies. Mayahuel lived again, anchored into the ground from Her roots, and filled with the divine love of Quetzalcoatl.


Mayahuel by Ehecatzin
Mayahuel is a dark goddess now. She saw all from the stars and She is the beloved of a God. She can see inside our very souls and give us visions to access our spiritual journeys. It is said that She grew 400 breasts to nourish rabbits with Her milk. The first drink made from the sap of the maguey was pulque. It was the ritual draft used in Atzec ceremonies, inducing wild hallucinations and the ecstatic dance.

This same milk is now distilled to create Mezcal. Despite common misconception, it does not contain mescaline nor any other hallucinogenic substance. It's produced in an entirely different way to pulque.

While on the subject of misconceptions about Mezcal, let's deal with the worm. For a start, it's not a worm. It's the lavae form of a moth. Hypopta agavis is the correct name for this moth, which lives, feeds and breeds in the manguey plant. This is usually at the distress of farmers, as the presense of the moth means that there is an infestation and the crop is ruined.


A worm in the Mezcal!!11!!!!1!!
During the 1940s, some bright spark in Oaxaca apparently had the gift of the gab. Who knows how the lavae got into the Mezcal? Perhaps it fell in during the bottling process. Perhaps someone tried to sabotege the sale. Perhaps it was someone's idea of a joke. Maybe it was even a warning. However it happened, the lavae was in this batch of Mezcal, which was already of lower quality than normal, because of the infestation. Yet he managed to sell it. Bravo the salesman!

Except now no-one can sell Oaxaca Mezcal without a lavae in it, because the urban myth is that the 'worm' adds to the flavour and proves that it's fit to drink. The distillers have to collect tubs of the insects, from infested farms, in order to drop a lavae into bottles of their own high-grade Mezcal. It has long since become one of the most successful marketing ploys ever. It doesn't add to the flavour. It doesn't do anyting. It's killed, scrubbed, sanitized, sterilized and dropped into alcohol. There it stays, mostly for the shock value and people daring each other to eat it.

The Oaxava Annual International Mescal Fair takes place in July. This year's arrangements haven't been made public yet, but they will be announced on official website. It regularly attracts over 50,000 visitors; and it is an excellent place to be introduced to the country's finest Mezcal. ¡Salud!

Carnival! Veracruz Rocks Mardi Gras

Mexicans love to party, neither argument or apology there! Once a year, the biggest party of all erupts throughout the country; and no city does it better than Veracruz. This is Carnival! It is Mardi Gras! And it is absolutely spectacular.



Carnaval de Veracruz runs from March 1st to March 9th this year, so the festivities have already begun. Tuesday's celebrations began with the official launch, followed by the children's parade. They were followed by orchestras and dance groups. As afternoon turned to evening, things really started to heat up with Rumbata!

The effigy of 'evil humor' or 'bad mood' was paraded, alongside music, laughter and dancing. While the crowds were entertained by live bands and dance troupes, performing Salseras, the effigy was set up in Zócalo de Veracruz. At 9pm, everyone packed into the square to watch 'evil humor' turned into a bonfire. It was the ceremonial start of Carnival - the burning of all residual bad feeling from 2010. It was the signal to let down your hair and become truly carefree. As the fireworks filled the skies, the message was clear: Let the fiesta begin!



Carnival is celebrated all over the world, particularly where Christianity has left its mark. It occurs during the run up to Lent, when Christians are traditionally supposed to eat no meat (many dilute that into giving up sweets or television or something). As Lent was a time of fasting, then the days before it had to be a period of eating up everything that wasn't going to keep.

Great banquets of perishable foods arrived on the table, particularly during the eve of Lent - Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras in French) or Shrove Tuesday. It was the last gorging before the diet of basic sustenance. In short, it was 'farewell to meat' or, in the Latin, carne vale; carnival in English or carnaval in Spanish.

Of course, if you're going to have a big meal, then you might as well have a party. Veracruz is the perfect example of just that!





There will be parades, music and other festivities from now until March 9th. Each day takes a different theme or story. Today, the King of Happiness is key. He will move in procession through the streets, before eventually ending up in Auditorio Benito Juárez. Here there will be his coronation ceremony. Let Happiness reign!

His consort, the Queen of the Carnival, has her big moment tomorrow. The streets will be thronged with Veracruz's most beautiful ladies, all escorting their festival regent. She too will arrive in Auditorio Benito Juárez for her very own coronation. Happiness and Carnival, it doesn't need spelling out, does it?

Not all of the spectacles are in the streets. Veracruz is a port and so there's a vast ocean out there to fill too. The Boat Parade takes place on Saturday.





The Carnaval de Veracruz is a huge affair. It's big enough to attract performances from some of Latin America's biggest celebrities. This year is no exception. Macro Plaza Malecón is one of Veracruz's largest public squares. It will be the venue for some stunning live shows. On Saturday night, Luis Enrique, aka El Principe de la Salsa (the Prince of Salsa), will take to the stage. The following night, it will be Yuri. Born and bred in the city, she is Mexico's answer to Madonna.

For more information, please visit the Carnival's official website (Spanish). An English translation of the programme can be found here.

Minerva: Pride in Mexican Beer

A brand new beer, targetting the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender market, has been launched in Mexico City.

Believed to be the first of its kind in the world, the beverage has labels depicting articles of gay pride. These are designed to be unglued, from the bottle, and worn as badges.

The 'artisan honey ale' arrives as 'Salamandra' or 'Purple Hand', both of which are buzz-words or icons harking back to the gay civil rights movements of the 1960s. They are designed in colors, which also have significance within the LGBT community. 'Salamandra' has a rainbow icon, while 'Purple Hand' is, well, purple.

Brewed by Minvera and distributed by Bodega 12, the malt-based beer contains 100% organic honey. Dario Rodriguez Wyler, the company's commercial director, explained, “We're out in the market, with great respect, with the idea of offering a product directed to the gay-lesbian community, that has been ignored for too long, but is important and very demanding."



On October 31st, 1969, sixty members of the Gay Liberation Front and the Society for Individual Rights sat down in front of the Examiner offices, in San Francisco, USA. They were there to protest a series of homophobic articles, carried by the newspaper, concerning the city's gay and lesbian bars. Employees, inside the building, took revenge upon the protestors by emptying purple printer ink over them, from a third-storey window. Some say it was a barrel of ink; others say that they were several small bags of ink.

Whichever way it was, protestors were soon covered in the stuff. When the police arrived, it was to arrest those outside. None of the Examiner staff were ever so much as cautioned. However, some protestors did get away. They used their saturated clothing and bodies as ink pads, in order to leave purple hand-prints all over the city. It became a powerful display of gay power, in the climate of the times. The incident became known as 'Friday of the Purple Hand'.

Meanwhile, salamandra (salamander) can be described as a sexual innuendo, best exemplified by drinking the beer directly from the bottle.



'Purple Hand' and 'Salamandra' are already available in bars and clubs throughout Mexico City, Guadalajara and several beach resort areas, including Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos. Minerva are also planning to open a 'Purple Hand' club, in Mexico City. The ale is already due for export to the US, Argentina, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia and Japan.

Minerva is just a tiny brewery, located in Jalisco, however they appear to have got this right. The company sold out of all 500 cases of their gay pride beer within just two days. They are naturally brewing more!

... But Is It True?

I love Snopes.com. It's a site that examines all of the urban myths flying across the internet, then deploys a team to find out the truth behind them. Let's face it, we all enjoy receiving e-mails or seeing forum posts with these stories in them. They outrage, amuse, scandalize, entertain or terrify us; but are they true? They aren't a problem until a falsehood is widely accepted as truth. Then a reputation can be damaged irreparably. Enter Snopes.

Just for fun, I decided to search the site for the urban myths concerning Mexico. There were 152 of them! Here are some of the biggies:

Mexican Pet

This story has many variations on a theme, involving different countries. The common thread is that someone, usually a woman, has visited Mexico as a tourist. She picks up a small dog, which she identifies as a Mexican hairless breed or some kind of Chihuahua. Fond of the little thing, but aware of the laws on transporting live animals back into America, she smuggles it home. The method of doing so isn't often told.

Once home, the dog becomes ill, or attacks the other family pets, or causes structural damage to the property, or dies. Whatever happens to it, the local vet is called in. The diagnosis is always the same, "This isn't a dog! It's a Mexican sewer rat!"


A rat and a chihuahua... an easy mistake to make?

Category: Unclassifable Veracity

Explanation: This urban myth has been around for decades. It gains popularity whenever there is a social scare about immigration, with the country involved altering accordingly. It's thinly veiled xenophobia. The message being: 'Leave foreign things in their own country! They're scary!'

Snopes link: Mexican Pet. See also 'Cactus Attacked Us!', where the variation was a Mexican cactus smuggled home, which turned out to be full of tarantulas.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Interview with an Illegal Immigrant

The e-mail purports to be a transcript of an interview with an illegal Mexican immigrant, working (and joining a protect march) in Texas, USA. The discussion was between Jim Moore, from KHOU-TV, and a man identified only as Juan.

Juan appears illogical, outrageously demanding and, at times, downright stupid. He states that he crossed the Mexico-American border illegally, but has lived in Texas for six years. He paid money to a 'man in Dallas' for documentation; however, he believes that this entitles him to benefits under federal law. He is in America solely for the benefits, free health-care and education for his children. He has interpreted the Declaration of Independence, '... they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights', to mean that all aliens have rights.



Juan is patriotic, though to Mexico, not the USA. He waves a Mexican flag and states that he is still Mexican. He then argues that Texas is Mexico, as it was stolen from them by the Americans. The interviewer tries to argue that Texas became a Republic, before its residents voted to join the United States. Juan counters that all Americans steal things, like oil and babies. He wants Texas to be returned to Mexico, but, in the meantime, Texas should become Spanish speaking.

Jim asks what would happen if he was to do the reverse - illegally pass into Mexico. Juan replies that Jim would be jailed immediately. Juan then launches into a tirade about how foreigners will get, and should get, nothing in Mexico; 'land-grabbing Gringos' should stay at home. It all ends with Juan shouting 'Viva Mexico!'

Category: False!

Explanation: KHOU-TV have confirmed that they've neither recorded nor aired such an interview. Additionally, Jim Moore didn't even work for them at the time when it was supposed to have taken place. The Snopes team looked further and found no Texan news show which did claim it. They concluded that it was meant to be anti-immigration humour.

Snopes link: Interview with an Illegal Immigrant

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Urine in Corona Beer

Corona Extra, aka Corona, is one of Mexico's best-selling beers. However, the rumour is that part of the taste comes from the brewers urinating in it. In some stories, this is only purportedly in the beers destined to be exported into the USA.



Category: False!

Explanation:The story was taken seriously enough that, in 1987, some American retailers started pulling the beer from its shelves. Sales dropped significantly enough that Corona's US handlers, Barton Beers Ltd, set about trying to find the source of the rumour. They were successful. Luco & Sons, of Reno, were a major distributor of Heineken. Back then Heineken was America's favorite imported beer, with Corona nipping at its heels as a close second. A law suit was dropped only when Luco & Sons admitted publicly that they had made the story up. Corona soon regained sales and is now the number one imported beer in the States.

Unfortunately, the hoax refused to die. It's still being repeated as fact, despite thousands of dollars spent in marketing campaigns refuting the story.

Snopes link: Urine in Corona Beer

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mass Migration of Golden Cow-Nosed Stingrays

It was June when Italian tourist, Sandra Critelli, was visiting the Yucatán Peninsula. She and her partner sailed out into the Gulf of Mexico to look for whale sharks. Instead, they ended up in the midst of a sight that truly took their breath away.



Thousands of golden cow-nosed stingrays were schooled together, swimming north. For miles around, they could see them near to the surface of the ocean. Ms Critelli reported, "We turned the boat towards the school, turned off the engine, and watched them move past us. There were thousands! They were swimming on the surface, and deep down, and all going in the same direction. They looked like beautiful leaves moving softly and gently by the wind."



Category: True!

Explanation: Every year, the golden cow-nosed rays migrate north in their tens of thousands. They travel from Brazilian waters, though the Yucatán Straits and then find their way to Chesapeake Bay, USA.

Snopes link: Mass Transit

Party Night in Cancún

Cancún is synonymous with parties. From impromptu beach gatherings to organized festivals, this is the Caribbean destination of choice for the party-goer. The buzz, so in evidence all year round, heightens to fever pitch with the arrival of the Spring Breakers. Even now, the American high school seniors and college students are looking forward to next March, booking their rooms to get the best ones secured. Meanwhile, Cancún has moved onto the next great happening. International clubbers dancing through the night, staggering on a high through the dawn back to their hotel rooms.

The lure is easy to see. The sun, sea, sand, bikini-clad beauties and bronzed, topless men; the free-flowing alcohol (all hail the legal drinking age being 3 years earlier than in the USA), the atmosphere, the entertainment and the music. It is taken as read that Mexicans know how to party; and people from all over the world come here to show us that they know too. So where to go, what to do and what do you need to know?



Cancún is home to several superclubs. The film above introduces just one of them, Coco Bongo. With the capacity to hold 1800 people, Coco Bongo is in a class of its own. All senses are filled at once, with non-stop shows, music and amazing acrobatics. This club is internationally famous, recognizable even if you've never heard of its name. It is forever being shown on shows like MTV or E!Entertainment, while some blockbuster Hollywood movies, like 'The Mask', have used it for their club scenes. There is more than a little stardust sprinkled over the place. Celebrity impersonators strut their stuff on the stage and dancefloors alike; while real celebrities are certainly spotted there from time to time.

If celebrity spotting is your thing, then Bulldog Cafe Cancún is worth a visit. Bands like U2, Guns and Roses, Radiohead and AC/DC have played on that stage; while the club also showcases rising talent. There is a 2000 people capacity here, including VIP special areas and an exotic jacuzzi for sophisticated visitors. Most of its nights are dedicated to sheer, unadulterated partying. There are theme nights, including an indoors beach party, complete with Bikini Contest.

For theme nights per se, then you would be hard pushed to beat Basic Discotheque Cancún, especially if your partying tends to leave you feeling overheated. This 1800 people capacity venue is half open to the elements, affording tremendous views across the lagoon. Periodically, water rains down onto the dancefloor from the framework above. Everyone soon dries off in the warmth of a Caribbean night, refreshed and re-energised for more dancing. Every night is a theme night there, from Wet T-shirt through to Foam Parties (where, yes, the dancefloor is covered in foam).

These are just three of the 100s of clubs that Cancún has to offer.



As with any new place, there might be little tips and local culture that isn't immediately obvious to a visitor from abroad. Here are some of them:

* Many entrance packages, including those offered by ourselves, include an open bar. This does mean that you can drink the bar dry should you wish without paying a penny. However, most clubs have a waiter service. If you use that service, then you will be expected to tip the waiter. In some clubs, you will not be served if you don't use the waiter.

* Depending upon the club, and the level of entrance package purchased, not every drink behind the bar will be included in your open bar deal. Some clubs operate tier systems (basic = domestic bar; premium = imported brandnames etc.). However, if you do fancy something not included with your wristband, you can still purchase it by paying by the glass.

* If you have bought an all-inclusive drink package, then be aware that this will not cover those drinks being offered by random people wandering around. What usually happens is that a gorgeous man or woman appears at your side with a huge bottle of something wonderful. Often it's top brand tequila. You will be invited to have a shot. If you accepted, then you will be charged extra for this.

* Most clubs display the notice: 'Gracias, por no fumar'. Sorry smokers, this means that it's a non-smoking club. Either stock up on nicotine replacement lozenges/patches and make do as best you can with them; or else you'll have to step outside to smoke. This can sometimes involve waiting in a long queue to get back in again.

* The longest queues are outside the most popular clubs. If you just turn up, then you will be in it. If you pay a package beforehand, from hotels or tour operators, then most clubs will just wave you to the front and let you go straight in.

* The restrooms often have a member of staff inside them, handing out useful items like brushes, hair-spray, paper towels, deodorant and all of those other little things to make you beautifully refreshed and gorgeous again. If you use this service, that member of staff will expect to be tipped.

Is It Legal?

Many people come to Mexico for a good time. They want the beaches, parties, free flowing alcohol and sun. It might never occur to them that entering another country means being subject to different laws, which may not be anything like their counterparts back home. If you commit a crime in Mexico, then you will be subject to Mexican law.

It's worth knowing what that law is then! We've compiled the most commonly queried legalities.

Alcohol

The age to legally drink alcohol in Mexico is eighteen.

Driving

You need to be 18 in order to drive in Mexico, however most rental agencies require the driver to be 21 years old.

Drugs

If you are carrying, or intend to buy, prescription drugs, then it is worth checking that they are also legal in Mexico. The Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risk (COFEPRIS) can help there. Their website, in English, is here. Each country differs on what is or isn't allowed, so even if your doctor back home gave them to you, they might be illegal over the border. It is also illegal to procure drugs with a prescription written by a doctor outside Mexico. You will need go see a doctor in Mexico first, then get him/her to prescribe your medication.

Some drugs, which may be illegal in your own country, are legal in small amounts in Mexico. These are quantities judged to be for personal use. They include: 5g marijuana, half a gram of cocaine, 50mg of heroin, 40mg of methamphetamine or 0.015mg of LSD. Anything over that is not legal.

Possession or use of any drugs deemed illegal in Mexico can carry a prison sentence of up to 25 years.

Firearms

Anyone wishing to take firearms, or ammunition, into Mexico can do so. However, they need a permit, secured prior to entry. It's not enough to declare the firearm at the border. These are strictly controlled and the penalties high.

Sex

The age of consent in Mexico is a little more complex than in neighbouring countries. The Federal Law, which exists as the minimum throughout the country, states that the age of consent is 12 years old (with restrictions). However, there is also state law, which changes depending upon which Mexican state you are in at the time. This places the minimum age at 12 (or puberty) through to 15. For example, in Quintana Roo, where millions of vacationers visit Cancun, the age of consent is 12.

However, before everyone goes cradle-snatching, please look again at that 'with restrictions' part. All of this very much relies upon the youngster being able to consent, with no complaints from him/her nor from his/her family. This includes consent given through seduction or deceit. In short, if the act has taken place, then either the child or their family complains, then the other party may find themselves with a lengthy prison term.

Moreover, some countries, like the USA, have laws on their own statute books governing sexual relations with minors in another country. In other words, it is legally possible for an American to travel to Mexico, engage with acts with a twelve year old; leave with no complaints nor arrest under Mexican law; then return home to find themselves on trial in their own country for 'sexual tourism' paedophilia.

It's probably much safer to move onto the age of consent (without restrictions). Again this varies from state to state, ranging from 16 to 18. In Quintana Roo, it is 18. The 'without restrictions' means that the family have no say in the matter and, unless someone has actually been raped, then there are no legal penalties.

Please note that the above applies equally to heterosexual and homosexual intercourse. It's all equal.

Tequila!

Some places or countries are forever associated with a certain alcoholic beverage. Guinness in Ireland; saki in Japan; the wines of California, USA; single, malt whisky in the Scottish highlands; champagne in France; the list goes on. One drink will be forever Mexico and that is tequila!



The further away you go from Mexico, the more likely that you haven't tried real tequila. It's exported just fine, but it nestles on supermarket shelves right next to cheap imitations that probably aren't 100% agave plant. Therefore it tastes coarse and can only be consumed without gagging by talking extraordinary measures. First you line the glass rim with salt, then you dip your index finger into a pile of salt and lick it. Immediately gulp the burning, bitter liquid back. Alcohol burn gorges a route through your throat. Then, while your taste buds are desperately trying to divorce themselves from your mouth, you suck on a lemon or lime to nullify the flavour. Alternatively, there are some methods substituting the salt for cinnamon and the lemon with orange. If you have had to resort to any of these things, then you have never drunk true tequila.

True tequila is to that stuff what Cognac is to brandy; what Laphroaig is to whisky; what Grey Goose is to vodka; what Gordons is to gin... you get the idea. It is sipped from a clean tequila glass with nothing else added. It's a very smooth flavour. It doesn't hurt your mouth to drink it and you will not have to flail around looking for something to take the taste away. Unless, of course, you're reaching for the bottle to refill your glass after you've savoured the last drop.

Tequila was first produced in the 16th century, in a Mexican town called, ahem, Tequila. It was (and is) distilled from the blue agave plant. It wasn't until around 1600 CE that a man named Don Pedro Sánchez de Tagle worked out a way to mass-produce it. The Spanish conquistadors started sending it home to Europe as another Mexican export and the world found out about it. It's been exporting it ever since.

However, that hasn't been without controversy. The blue agave plant, from which tequila is distilled, is only found in limited places in the world. All of these places are in Mexico, but even there it's only in a tiny region. The blue agave can be found in the state of Jalisco and limited regions in the states of Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit and Tamaulipas. Mexican law states that if the alcohol hasn't been distilled in these places, then it's not tequila.

This, of course, hasn't stopped other areas and countries creating their own brand, but they don't taste the same. As the drink began to be globally associated with the coarse, bitter, non-authentic stuff, the Mexican government took action. It has claimed exclusive right to the name 'tequila' for a start and does take action against others using it. One such casualty was JB Wagoner, in the USA, who ultimately changed the name of their drink to JB Wagoner's Ultra Premium after a legal challenge. But even within Mexican, the name is protected for those regions with the proper plant. The Tequila Regulatory Council of Mexico ensures that it is so.

In a bid to raise the reputation of the drink, so damaged by cheap imitations, tequila ambassadors were sent out around the world. From the early 1990s, armed with examples of real tequila, their remit was to re-educate international connoisseurs of fine spirits. This tequila had been prepared by traditional means and was proofed to the correct standard.

The blue agave had grown for 8 - 10 years in the fields, in the approved regions, before being cut with old-fashioned machetes. The 'jimadores', agave farmers, have a very specific way of harvesting the plant. It has to be at precisely the right time, or else the taste is affected. These secrets have been passed down from generation to generation, because, frankly, they are way too valuable to be shared with just anyone! Their produce had been distilled, at least twice, and then left to mature in oak kegs for at least four years. The yeast used in this differs from distillery to distillery and is another closely guarded secret.

The tequila ambassadors aboard were triumphant! Suddenly, amongst those in the know, tequila rose through the ranks to claim its rightful place alongside the greatest spirits in the world. Sales of authentic tequila went up steeply, as connoisseurs rushed to stock it.

Unfortuately, the demand soon outstripped the supply. We're back to the fact that the blue agave plant only grows in limited places; plus it has to mature in the ground for up to a decade. The jimadores simply didn't have enough of it to harvest in order to fill all of these orders. The price of proper tequila soon rose, until only the rich or uncompromising chose it. The cheap imitations flooded back into the market to fill the breach for everyone else. That hard-won reputation started to sink again. But the news was out there. In fact, the Guinness Book of Records tells us that the most expensive alcoholic drink ever bought was a tequila from this time. Tequila Ley .925, based in Tequila, Jalisco, sold a two-liter bottle for $225,000, in July, 2006. Apparently to someone who knew what tequila was supposed to taste like.

The good news though is that the crisis happened ten years ago. All those jimadores, at the time, planted millions of extra acres with blue agave. They are just now coming to maturity. In short, we are living in a decade where authentic, beautiful, smooth-tasting, proper tequila is more plentiful and much cheaper. And buying it actually in Mexico makes it even cheaper still.

So how should you drink it, now that you can dispense with all that nasty salt, cinnamon, lemon, lime and orange malarkey? There is a trick to get the best flavour from tequila. Just get yourself a good tequila and follow these steps:

1, Choose your glass well. Most spirits have the correct glass to use and tequila is no exception. Riedel or Caballito glasses are the things to own.

2, Pour in your shot. In the Riedel glass, that's to the point where the sides straighten (pictured). While the Caballito will usually have a line engraved on the glass to show you where to fill it to.

3, Let it settle while you prepare your taste-buds. You don't want to influence the taste with whatever you last drank or ate. Some experts recommend a glass of water, just to wash your mouth out. However, the true Mexican experience involves a glass of sangrita at this point.

4, With a fresh, clean palate, you are ready to enjoy your tequila. Pick up your glass and give it a little swirl. This will release the bouquet; close your eyes and raise the glass to the level of your chin. Inhale the scent of agave and oak. (Don't shove your nose in it, you'll just smell alcohol, which isn't so pretty.)

5, Take the tiniest sip, a mere taste of it. This prepares your tongue for the full flavour coming up. You may feel a slight jolt here, but no more than your first sip of whisky does. Contemplate the flavour. Savour it. Let your mouth adjust and want more.

6, Tequila time is now. Go for a proper sip and enjoy!