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We host an annual Cinco De Mayo party, so about this time each year I am also trying to come up with a menu that is something different from past years.

First, possible beverages: Pitchers of Sangria or Margaritas (on the rocks for convenience), selection of mexican beers, mexican hot chocolate (iced down) and of course, just plain old tequila shots!

As for the food, the one appetizer I am going to make will be Tamale...They are great finger foods and can be made ahead of time....easy to serve. You can also purchase these at a local market.

A few of the other potential menu items past & present:

1. Salsa tasting bar (8-12 varieties)
2. Guacamole served with chips & thin sliced veggies (like radishes)
3. Wonton cups filled with refried beans & broiled cheese.
4. Ceviche.
5. Grilled fajita skewers.
6. Mini savory corn cakes.
7. Assortment of imported mexican meats & cheeses.
8. Build your own "taco" salad bar...get interesting ingredients to lay out.

I go with a theme, come up with a couple of main appetizes, then fill in the blanks. My main goal is to have fun, not present an "authentic" mexican menu...so as long as it is mexican inspired, tex-mex, or SW fusion I'm fine with it.

We are fortunate to have a large gas grill & patio space, so if the weather is looking to be nice we may do fajitas & Tamale as the star attractions, then pull together a few nibbly things for people to nosh on in between.

@2qrs: You can pick tamales at your market? You must live in the Southwest, where this is actually possible. I used to live in AZ and would just pick up tamales from my favorite Mexican bakery. Now I live in New England, and this is just not feasible. Do you have any good recipes for tamales?
I love the idea of the salsa tasting bar, and the wontons with beans and cheese. Brilliant!

Sangria! (It's more Spanish than Mexican, but goes along with the flavor of the holiday) My friend makes it with white wine, rum, sugar, any kind of citrusy juice, club soda, and slices of fruit like oranges and pineapple.

Plus Coronas or Dos Equis (with limes of course) are always popular!

A taco bar would be really fun too. My favorite Mexican place serves soft shell ones with grilled chicken, fresh onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. So delicious and refreshing from the usual cheese & salsa variety.

@LiveToEat: Sangria is indeed spanish, but I've found a mexican "sangria" called Agua Loca that sounds delicious and has a name that is much more fun to say...

A margarita bar would also be nice :)

A lot of the good ideas have already been mentioned. I would suggest making your own salsas - it will be a lot of fun and who doesn't like a homemade salsa?!

Other ideas to supplement 2qrs' amazing list: black bean tostadas, chicken or steak flautas, empanadas, albondigas (Spanish meatballs), and flan (for dessert)!

Hillary
Chew on That

Carnitas are a good and different taco filler.
When I went to Mexico City, street vendors were popular. Items included tamales, corn on the cob and freshly made corn tortillas with beans on top. There was fresh-squeezed orange juice. People would have carts full of oranges and squeeze the juice right there. Restaurants offered orange juice and lime juice with soda in them, which was delicious and refreshing, if you need a non-alcoholic beverage for younger party-goers.
Reading these lists made me hungry. I love Mexican food!!! In fact, I'm going to make enchiladas tonight with homemade sauce using my dad's dried sweet and jalapeno peppers.

Oh my goodness, I can't wait to try all of these out. Thank you for your suggestions and recipes!

@Chiff0nade: I find that regardless of when I've eaten, SE always makes me hungry....LOL!

@Modysoul: I live in Minneapolis where there are a number of ethnic markets catering to the hispanic community...some have fresh tamales and pretty much all of them have frozen...not to be confused with the frozen prepacked over processed ones you find everywhere. It may take some searching, but my gues is there might be a similar place near you???

My e-mail is in my profile, send a note with "Serious Eats" in the subject line and I can share recipes & resources for Tamales. If I get time, I may also post in the recipe section.

I have been reading the posts on this site for a while now and just got up the courage to post. Big step for me! I am really just learning to enjoy cooking. I have never turned on my oven. You should see it. 12 years old and absolutely spotless. I have a few dishes I have "mastered", (Mexican Shrimp Cocktail), but that involves boiling water. SO, LiveToEat, would you kindly expand on your recipe for Sangria? That sounds like a fun drink and I would like to make it.

Thank you chisai! I was REALLY nervous to put it on this posting. I have never shared anything before. I almost didn't hit the key. Well, I make a slightly chunky "cocktail sauce" with all of the ingredients prior to the shrimp and the avocado. The ratio of ketchup (if I use it) and the hot sauce (I really like Cholula) is 3 to 1 volume. I don't know how to really measure, I just keep tasting it. The celery should be chopped pretty fine. I only like a little crunch. I leave the shrimp whole (31-40 count) and I cut the avocado into smallish (is it that even a cooking term?) I add the shrimp to the sauce and then gently mix in the avocado. If I make it with fresh tomatoes, I peel and seed them and put them in the Cuisinart and lighten up on the hot sauce. It is a little wetter this way, but I can't resist fresh tomatoes in season. It is really simple. Does this help?

Thanks @izatryt! I think I would make it with fresh tomatoes, diced fine, but otherwise will follow this to a tee. It really sounds delicious.

@izatryt........dare I ask? Nah. haha

What food do you love that haven't been able to make because you'd need the oven? That might be a great place to start, and there are many here who would love to help you if they can. Since you chose a Cinco de Mayo post to introduce yourself, I'd guess those are foods you like? Just look at all the people who have so much to contribute. Those foods are all new to me, but I'm really enjoying learning about them.

I'd like to make a suggestion in a slightly different vein from all the finger food, which while fabulous, can also be a bit time consuming to prepare and serve if you have a larger number of people. I like to offer a variety of salads or room temperature vegetable dishes at my parties and these things usually go just as fast if not faster than the main items, which also tend to be meatier. I usually offer 3 or 4 of these vegetable dishes in addition to the main fare mentioned above. A lot of people are eating vegan, vegetarian or just want to watch their calories, and these dishes can apply for all those reasons.

In a southwest sort of theme, I make a black bean salad spiked with an olive oil vinaigrette with lime, capers & garlic for bite, and lots of scallions, diced tomatoes, celery, red peppers and cilantro. This is great if you make the black beans from scratch the day before and just use the whole pound to make the salad. Similarly, a fresh corn salad, with slivered red onions, tomatoes, avocados, cilantro and arugula can be great. Lime spikes this well, with maybe a little cayenne. Costco has ears of fresh corn already shucked. With these salads done earlier in the day, you can let the flavors develop in the fridge while you are focusing on all those other last minute items. The beans and corn are a complete protein, and will satisfy any crowd of fussy (restricted) eaters - of which we always have quite a number, being in California. We also like to have a green, like grilled asparagus or chinese style sauteed greens, but that's not very cinquo de mayo I guess. Still - those greens are always the first to run out!