Cinco De Marcho

Get ready to raise your glass, America. March 5 is Cinco de Marcho (CdM) an annual event that celebrates and combines the traditions of the popular Cinco de Mayo and St. Patrick's Day holidays.

"Carlos Fantastico" launched the occasion in 2007 at The Matador bar in Georgia to give drinkers a jump-start on the big St. Patrick's Day holiday. Similar to the 12 Days of Christmas, Cinco de Marcho helps prepare participant's livers for the big event. In 2012, the Walkermole became the first restaurant in Canada to celebrate the event.

While the controversial holiday may be offensive to some, CdM does not promote excessive or binge drinking or the stereotyping of two cultures. It's all in fun and is about preparing and "ramping up" for the popular St. Patrick's Day celebration.

Just in case you plan to participate in Cinco de Marcho, perhaps a popular drinking game will get you into the holiday "spirit?"

Popular Drinking Games

• Quarters - This game is best played with three to six players. You'll need a hard-surfaced table, glasses and a quarter. Spin the coin to see who starts the game. Whoever has the Eagle's beak or Washington's nose pointed at him or her, begins. The object of the game is to bounce the quarter off the table and into a filled, shallow glass. If the quarter goes in, the shooter decides who gets to drink the beverage. If the shooter misses, the next person gets to shoot.

• Questions - Similar to Truth or Dare, each player takes turns being the questioner. The questioner asks another player to answer a yes or no question which must be answered without hesitation. The answerer becomes the next questioner. No laughing or repeating the questions are permitted. Any infraction results in drinking.

• I Never - This simple game works best with people who really know one another. Each person takes a turn by saying a true statement that begins with "I've never..." For instance, if you have never been on a cruise, you could say "I've never been on a cruise." Anyone who is playing who has been on a cruise must drink. Then it's the next person's turn to say "I've never...."

• Cheat - This drinking card game encourages cheating! You'll need at least one deck of 52 playing cards and four or more players. If you are the first person to lose all your cards, you win! To play, deal all the cards. The person on the left of the dealer goes first and must put down one or more Aces - face down. He or she has to say what they put down - for instance, "One Ace." The next player has to put down one or more cards "above or equal to" the previous card. For example, if the first card was an Ace, the second player must put down a King, Ace or a Two. The second player must put one of those cards down and announce which card he/she put down whether or not he or she actually had the card. If another player doesn't believe it, they must shout "Cheat" and will turn over the card that was just played. If the accuser is correct, the cheater has to pick up all the cards in the pile and have a drink. If the accuser is wrong, he or she must pick up all the cards and have a drink. Players are allowed to hide cards, add more cards to the deck, etc. But if you are caught cheating, you will be duly punished! The game continues until one of the players is out of cards and wins. All other players have to finish drinking the remaining beverages.

• The Name Game - If you know celebrities and the alphabet, this game may be right up your alley. The first person begins by saying the first and last name of a famous person, like Brad Pitt. The next person says the name of another famous person whose name begins with the first letter of the last name of the previous person. For example, Pitt's last name begins with a "P." Another celeb's name that begins with a "P" is Penelope Cruz. The next person would come up with a name that begins with a "C" (Cruz) such as Clark Gable. If you can't think of anyone, you have to drink until you come up with a name. And if someone's first name and last name begins with the same letter, you change directions.

• Black or Red - Someone has to be the dealer - everyone else are the guessers. The dealer takes a deck of cards, face down, and asks the first player to guess the color of the card on the top - red or black. If the guesser is correct three times in a row, it is the next person's turn to guess. If the guesser is wrong, he or she must take a sip of a drink equal to the number of cards they correctly guessed, plus one. For instance, if the guesser correctly guessed two cards, he or she would take two sips plus one more for the mistake. If all three cards are guessed correctly, the guesser can ask another player to play or can continue to guess.

• The Vegetable Game - Make sure to hide all cameras before playing this game! The object of the Vegetable Game is to talk without showing your teeth! Each person chooses a vegetable which will be your user name. Player one will say their name twice followed by saying another player's user name twice. For instance, player one named Mushroom will say (without showing their teeth), "Mushroom, Mushroom calls Tomato, Tomato." The person named Tomato will then say "Tomato, Tomato calls Lettuce, Lettuce." Whoever shows their teeth during the name portion of the game or while laughing, drinks.

• Russian Beer Roulette - Fair warning - don't play this messy game inside! You'll need a table and cans of beer. The first player grabs a beer can, shakes it vigorously and places the can with others on the table. The cans are shuffled so nobody knows which one was shaken. Each player picks a can and everyone opens their can at the same time. Whoever gets sprayed with beer, loses.

While drinking games are meant to be fun, consuming too much alcohol can be deadly! Drinking and driving and excessive drinking can have serious consequences. Please drink responsibly!

March 5 is also National Absinthe Day, National Cheese Doodle Day and Multiple Personality Day.