PREP TIME 5 min
What is a Michelada beer cocktail, we hear you ask. It’s quite simply one of the most thirst-quenching drinks your heart could desire on a hot summer’s day. This popular Mexican beer drink is similar to a Bloody Mary but the vodka is swapped with beer, typically a light Mexican beer like a Corono or Sol Cerveza – and the tomato juice is replaced with Worcester sauce. It’s the perfect light and zesty sip for a BBQ, especially if you’re the one who’s working at the grill.
1 Person
For the salted rim
For the cocktail
Mix the rim ingredients on a saucer. Rub the lime around the rim of the beer glass and then dip into the spicy salt
Pour all the remaining ingredients into the glass, tilt the glass and pour in the beer
Taste for seasoning and garnish with a lime wedge
Preparation is the key to success, so start by chilling your beer glass or glasses and beer, well in advance. Rim the glass with a salt-cayenne mixture for that savory spice with each sip. Then you simply add in the rest of the ingredients and do a taste test to check for seasoning—you may prefer an extra grind of pepper or more hot sauce.
An ice-cold beer cocktail can sure get the appetite going, so it’s good to have a few options up your sleeve. Tacos are a fantastic pairing with a Michelada beer cocktail or other Mexican cocktails, as is slow-cooked chipotle spiced shredded pork, especially for a Cinco de Mayo party. Spicy tuna or white fish ceviche with a good measure of fresh lime juice is also a stellar combination. A Michelada cocktail is also one of the best brunch cocktails, which you can serve with a fry-up of hash browns, eggs, bacon, or Huevos Rancheros.
Michelada, loosely translated in Spanish, means “my cold beer”; the “Mi” is my, “chela” is slang for a pint of beer, and “ada” is from helada which means cold.
The origins of this drink are unclear but a Mexican beer cocktail Michelada became popular in Mexico in the 1940s, when thirsty beer enthusiasts would ice a cold light lager, pour it over ice, add a dash of spicy clamato (Mexican tomato juice), and finish with a good squeeze of lemon and hot sauce. That’s the traditional way, but Mexico City locals prefer a light lager served with a shot of lime in an iced pint glass with a salted rim.
