Move over Margarita! Michelada has come to town..

A michelada in the making.

It didn’t take long—two sips, maybe—to fall in love with the sultry spice of the Mexican Michelada. A concoction of hot sauce, tomato juice, lime and beer served over ice with a salted rim, the Michelada offers up a refreshing, mixed beer drink for any occasion.

Considered to be Mexico’s bloody Mary, the Michelada, at least for us, brings so much more to the table in terms of taste and refreshment due to the carbonation from the beer.  The name – “mi chela helada”  loosely translates to “my cold, light beer”.  True to it’s name, it tastes great, is less filling and is a taste unlike any other. It’s a unique flavor- smoky, robust and refreshing all at the same time. Falling under the category cerveza preparda—a mixed beer drink involving hot sauces and/or juices—the Michelada is said to have originated in the 1940s, when combining beer with spices/salsa and tomato juice became popular in Mexico.

The Michelada, however, is not something you’re going to want to drink all day. While the first gave us chills, the feisty taste of the second round got old real fast. Have you ever brought a seasonal ale (read: pumpkin) to a party and realized after two or so that you need to start stealing someone else’s beer from the fridge because you just can’t stand the pumpkin taste any longer? The Michelada is the same way. It’s not something you want to get plastered with at a party but it’s a refreshing, unique way to drink a beer at a café or a picnic. It’s a drink we became quite familiar with during our time in Oaxaca.

Can’t make it to Mexico this week? Make your own!

Below is a recipe for the Michelada from the Wall Street Journal:

•  12 oz beer – preferably a blond Mexican beer or a darker one like Negra Modelo
• 1 oz fresh lime juice
• 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 2 dashes Mexican hot sauce (e.g., Cholula)

Mix ingredients over ice in a salt-rimmed highball or pint glass and stir. Avoid watering down the beer with small cubes that melt quickly or too much ice.

While it sounds a bit strange on paper, the Michelada does taste fantastic and is something worth seeking out on your next trip to Mexico. Yum!

Beth sipping a Michelada.

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