Michelada: the easy recipe for a tasty, refreshing Mexican cocktail

The Michelada has it all. It's spicy, savory, with the perfect amount of tartness. Sipping on this delicious, incredibly refreshing Mexican beer cocktail is an amazing way to cool down on a hot day. It's a bit like a Bloody Mary and a bit like a chelada. Like the Bloody Mary, Micheladas are made with tomato or Clamato juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce, but the Michelada features crisp lager and lime juice like a chelada. The crisp, fizz from the beer is a real winner with heavier dishes. It's an excellent way to wash down barbecue, pretty much any Mexican dish, as well as other Latin fare.

What is a Michelada?

The Michelada is a crisp, refreshing beer cocktail that is originally from Mexico. It boasts a spicy bite, bright tartness, and is a bit savory. The name is a combination of the word “chela” which is a slang term for beer, “ada” as in helada, which means cold or frosty, and “mi” which means my. It combines the best flavors of a Bloody Mary with those of a chelada. In short, it's an amazing thirst-quencher!

Michelada Ingredients

As we touched on above, the Michelada shares several ingredients with the Bloody Mary. Tomato or Clamato juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce, to name a few. It also has a few ingredients in common with the classic chelada, which is made from Mexican lager, lime juice, and served over ice. You can add other ingredients like fresh fruit or chamoy to make delicious variations on the original Michelada recipe.

How to Make Micheladas

The first step to making a perfect Michelada is to rim the glass with Tajin, a spicy, salty chili-lime seasoning popular throughout Mexico. Grab a wedge of lime and run it around the rim of your cocktail glasses. Pour out some Tajin into a dish and press the rim of the glass into the dish. Fill the glass with ice and set it aside for a moment.

Next up, gather the rest of your ingredients. Divvy up the Clamato, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and soy sauce between the two glasses. Top the glasses up with a crisp Mexican lager like Corona or Sol, garnish with a wedge of lime and start sipping.

Tips for the Best Michelada

– If you don't have or can't find Clamato, you can use regular tomato juice instead. Spicy Bloody Mary mix will work in a pinch.

– Use a crisp, light Mexican lager to make your Micheladas. Look for Corona, Sol, Tecate or Modelo.

– Once you've mastered the basics, you can try out Michelada variations. After adding the salt rim to the glass, you can muddle some mango and cilantro, add the ice, followed by the remaining ingredients for a delicious, thirst-quenching mango Michelada. Berries, pineapple, and passion fruit are other fantastic fruits you can use to add a little sweetness to this cocktail. You can also add some chamoy, a sweet, spicy, tangy Mexican sauce, to your Micheladas.

– Make your Michelada stronger by adding a shot of tequila or mezcal to it.

– Take inspiration from the old school Bloody Mary and use cooked prawns, pickled jalapenos, or bacon as a garnish.

Can You Store Micheladas?

Micheladas are easy to pre-batch. Mix all the ingredients except for the beer and keep them in an airtight container. When you're ready to serve the Micheladas, pour the mix into a glass and top with beer.

Instructions

Run a wedge of lime around the cocktail glasses.

Pour the Tajin seasoning into a dish. Dip the glasses into the Tajin. Fill each glass with ice and set them aside.

Pour equal amounts of Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, Clamato, and beer into each glass. Stir, garnish with a wedge of lime and serve.

Notes

Tajin is a popular Mexican chili-lime flavoring seasoning. It's available in most supermarkets or can be purchased online. You can mix chili powder with salt as a substitute, but if you're able to find Tajin, it should always be your first choice.