Get Drunk to This: Video Game and Cinco de Mayo Cocktail Pairings for the Discerning Palate

Cinco de Mayo is handily one of the most Americanized, co-opted international holidays.

Ask any goon with a guacamole stained button down, and he would be hard-pressed to give an actual origin of the holiday. As misunderstood as the holiday may be, it's not going to stop your local Chili's from printing money for the better part of the next 24 hours.

History's garbled translations aside, we do like drinking.

Today is one of those socially acceptable days to get away with getting lit while the sun is still up, but you should spare yourself the hangover and step up your bar game. Enjoy these cocktail pairings with these video games and skip the inevitable meat market your local Mexican chain restaurant is guaranteed to become.

RELATED: Rumor: "Borderlands" Sequel Called "Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!"

RELATED: First Footage of "Borderlands 2" on the PS Vita (Video)

Directions: Rub the rim of an old-fashioned glass with lemon juice and dip into salt. Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into the salt-rimmed glass over ice cubes, and serve.

The NBA playoffs have been absolutely wild this season, giving the first round of the postseason the shot in the arm that it has needed for years.

If you're a basketball fan looking to toast one to your favorite sport this Cinco de Mayo, pick up NBA 2K14 and choose your side. Will you go with Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, and their Oklahoma City Thunder? Or will you take LeBron James and help the Miami Heat defend their back-to-back titles? Either way, you can't go so wrong so long as you have a Viva Villa in hand.

Directions: Add all ingredients to shaker, muddle ingredients, add ice, shake, and strain into glass.

Consider the Maid in Mexico your new Life Potion should you make The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword your game of choice for Cinco de Mayo. Link may be a legendary hero, but he's also always needed help from some concoction or another in any one of his adventures. And while neither a Life Potion nor a Magic Potion possess the intoxicating qualities of a Maid in Mexico, we're sure that Link would appreciate a dose of liquid courage every now and then.

Directions: Pour the tequila and the orange juice into a highball glass with ice cubes, stir, slowly pour the grenadine around the inside edge of the glass, it will sink and slowly rise to mix with the other ingredients naturally. Garnish with the orange slice and cherry.

Much like mixology, Minecraft is all about construction. as both fields focus on piecing together elements to form a beautiful sum of parts. So, bearing aesthetics in mind, let's pair Minecraft together with the Tequila Sunrise. With orange juice, tequila, grenadine, orange slice, and maraschino cherry, the mixture is a rare treat that looks just as good as it tastes.

Directions: Add all ingredients to shaker, muddle, fill with cracked ice, and shake 3-4 times. Dump all ingredients into a glass.

Who knows? Maybe if you get drunk enough, Metal Gear Solid 2 will finally begin to make some sense. Indeed, the plot of Hideo Kojima's 2001 classic is so famously intricate that it may require an unhinged mind to fully grasp all of its turns and nuances. So, if you're going to choose that route of comprehension, arm yourself with a Caipirita, a delicious tequila cocktail worthy of any Snake-Solid, Liquid, or otherwise.

Directions: Muddle tequila, simple syrup, lime wedges, cucumber slices, and Chulola hot sauce. Shake vigorously for 10 seconds and dump all ingredients into a rocks glass, with a salted rim.

As they say, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Or, in this case, the squeaky Titan. Get ready to get reckless with your favorite virtual mechs after you down a couple El Guapos. The drink is a tasty concoction made up of simple syrup, lime wedges, cucumber slices, and tequila. Oh, but don't forget the hot sauce as well. Any drink befitting of a Titan needs to pack a little punch.

Directions: Dry shake, shake with ice, strain. Serve up.

With its sprawling world map, endless side quests, and countless character-building features, Skyrim isn't a game that is beaten, so much as it is mastered. So on Cinco de Mayo, pair the title up with a Conquistador in order to properly celebrate your fantastical dominance. Boasting lime and lemon citrus flavors, the Conquistador also features both rum and tequila, a combination almost as dangerous as dragon's breath.

Directions: Add all ingredients to shaker, fill completely with ice, shake vigorously, strain into glass.

A Flawless Margarita is an essential addition to the menu of any discerning drinker's Cinco, Edward Kenway included. When you're out on the open seas, what better complement is there to the tropical ocean air than a well-made margarita? Obviously, Assassin's Creed IV is no cruise ship, but even pirates needs to kick back with some liquid relaxation every now and again.

Directions: Shake with ice and strain into an ice-filled collins glass. Top with soda and garnish with a lime wedge.

For any fan of Grand Theft Auto V, make the Mexican Firing Squad your drink of choice this Cinco de Mayo. Featuring lime, bitters, tequila, grenadine, and soda water, the drink is a powerful blend of flavors with a necessary accent provided by couple ounces of tequila. Remember though: drink responsibly. We don't want to see anyone's inner-Trevor Phillips unleashed.

Directions: You can probably figure this one out.

If you've ever played "Beerio Kart," then you're already well aware of Mario Kart 64's applications as a drinking game. Today, we're going to give that competition a little twist, adding a tequila shot into the mix, and making your time behind the virtual wheel that much more reckless. Drinking and driving is never encouraged, but we can always turn a blind eye to picking up the sticks after a few too many.

Directions: Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Sti and strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Hold a lighted match over drink in one hand and orange peel in other hand, with orange side facing flame and about an inch away. Carefully and quickly squeeze orange peel until oils spark. Put out match and drop peel into cocktail.

There's really no better drinking buddy than everyone's favorite British spy, James Bond. Sure, 007 is most famous for his love of vodka martinis ("shaken, not stirred") but we'd bet that he's willing to break tradition for a holiday. However, keep in mind, Bond is the one we're talking about here; he still demands class from his alcoholic beverages. The Oaxaca Old-Fashioned is the way to go here, offering a devilish spin on a time-tested pick-me-up.