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:

Michelada

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.

Beth sipping a Michelada.

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I’ve decided to keep a running list of some of my recipes pertaining to beans and beer. This is the first one and it is listed under the recipe tab as well. In the next couple of days I will be adding a hysterical video that shows you exactly how to make this. Keep Posted!

Also, if you make it - please leave a comment telling me what you thought

Recipe #1:   The Holy Beanacado Super Yum – a black bean, avocado dip/salsa

This easy to make recipe is a cross between dip, guacamole & salsa. It’s chunky, colorful and very refreshing. It goes excellent with tortilla chips or you can use it as a spread. The black beans make it filling and full of protein. If you put this out at a party I guarantee it will not be around for long.

Ingredients:

2 ripe Avocados

1 15 oz. can of Black Beans

10 (or so) Cherry Tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped Onions (depending on your taste)

1/2 of a Lime

Salt, Pepper – Seasoned to taste

(optional ingredients: Garlic Powder, Hot Sauce, a Jalepeno Pepper)

Preperation:

The first thing you want to do is heat the beans, just a wee bit – this is the key element of this recipe. My recommendation is to drain almost all of the bean juice from the can and then microwave them for about 30 seconds or so. You don’t want to heat them fully, you just want to take the earthy edge off them and make them a bit softer. Be sure to drain the rest of the bean juice before you add the beans to mixing bowl. Cut your avocados in half and then pull the pits out. After that, dice the avocado (remove the skin before or after) into chunks. Remember this is a chunky dip, so you want to keep the avocado pieces bite sized so they will fit nicely on a chip but not so small that they will turn into guacamole as you mix it up.  Then dice about 10 cherry tomatoes. You can use any kind of tomoto but I prefer cherry since they pack a lot of flavor in a little bite. Then grab your onion and dice up  maybe about 1/4 cup or so. Some people will like more and some will like less so it is really up to your taste buds here. Toss all the ingredients together in a large bowl making sure to mix it thoroughly. Cut your lime in 4 sections and squeeze 2 of them  over the top and mix again. Add salt & pepper to taste and mix again.

The nice thing about this dish is that you can season it and add or subtract other ingrediants depending on your taste. If you want to spice it up you can dice (very small) a jalepeno or other hot pepper and throw it in. You could also add a few drops of hot sauce and garlic powder.  It’s very good, very filling and very, very healthy.

In the end your dish should look something like this: