Corn, beans and potatoes are the main staples of Mexican cuisine, with fish and chicken on most menus. International cuisine is available at large hotels and many restaurants. US and Mexican fast food chains are easy to find. Imported spirits are expensive, and cheap local spirits can be an acquired taste, but rum and tequila are relatively safe bets.
Corona and
Sol are the most popular beers - light and refreshing, and often drunk with a wedge of lime.
National specialties:•
Mole refers to several very different sauces, based around garlic and chilli.
Mole poblano is a chocolate sauce poured over turkey. Green
mole verde is made from fresh herbs.
Guacamole is an avocado
mole with red peppers, onions and tomatoes.
•
Tortillas are corn pancakes often eaten like bread.
•
Enchiladas (soft tortillas) and
tacos (crispy tortillas) are filled with pork, chicken, vegetables or cheese and chilli.
•
Look out for exotic fruits like
zapote (brown fruit resembling an avocado), and
tuna (juicy prickly pear, fruit of the cactus).
National drinks:•
Tequila is a double or triple-distilled spirit made from the blue variety of agave, which is not a cactus, but a plant related to the lily. Young
blanco tequilas can have a rough ‘cowboy edge’ to them. Older
añejo varieties are woody and sometimes as smooth as a fine brandy.
•
Mezcal is similar to tequila, but is distilled only once and can be made from different varieties of agave. It is not generally used in cocktails like tequila, but consumed in shots. Sip slowly to savour the taste.
•
Mexico’s coffee liqueur,
kahlúa, is world famous.
Legal drinking age: 18.
Tipping: Service charges are rarely added to hotel, restaurant or bar bills and many of the staff depend on tips for their livelihood. 15% is expected and 20% if the service has been very good.
NightlifeLike any Latin American destination, things in Mexico do not really get going until late, with
nightclubs often opening around midnight and closing at daylight. In family resorts, planned entertainment begins earlier; expect to be entertained at dinner with live
mariachi music, Spanish
flamenco dancers,
gypsy violinists and
Aztec re-enactments.
Mexico City attracts international rock and pop acts,
Latin music stars, and the world’s best
ballet and
orchestra companies.
Zona Rosa, in the center, is the traditional home of chic, but has expensive bars and restaurants. West of there,
hip new bars have been popping up in the wealthy residential district of Polanco. Further south is the
arty district of Coyoacan (where Trotsky used to live). The bars here are relaxed and cheaper than the Zona Rosa. West of Coyoacan is San Angel, a traditional neighborhood with decent reasonably priced bars and restaurants. Connecting this area back to the Zona Rosa is the longest avenue in the capital,
Avenida Insurgentes. Along its length are a wide selection of
international restaurants, lively bars and nightclubs to suit the diverse tastes of the 20 million people who live here.
Acapulco is known as ’the city that never sleeps’ with
bars and
discos lining the streets. Worth seeing is the impressive
light show, with accompanying sound show, at the archaeological site of Teotihuacán. The history and mythology of this ancient civilization are recreated through a gorgeous display of colored lights, poetic dialog and music. The season runs from October to May.
Cancún conjures up images of US spring-break college students going wild in carefree all-night beach parties. However, with hurricanes causing damage here almost every season (September to October), it is a perennial struggle to piece things back together in time to welcome America’s youth. Every year however,
top-name international DJs come to the city’s
megaclubs - one of which has a capacity of 15,000.
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