The Michelada is a spicy Mexican beer cocktail made with tomato juice, lime, and hot sauce! Light and refreshing, it has a salty and spicy edge.
If you don’t drink Micheladas: well, you haven’t lived! The Michelada is a spicy cocktail made with Mexican beer, tomato juice, lime juice and hot sauce. Think of it as a Bloody Mary and beer margarita combo of sorts. The best is on the rim of the glass: a mix of Old Bay, chili powder and celery salt add a salty, savory kick to the start of this refreshing drink. The flavor is perfect for many occasions, whether it’s a summer appetizer or a Mexican brunch. Alex and I are thrilled with this new addition to our cocktail collection…here’s how to make it!
What’s in a michelada?
A Michelada is one brewed beer (“brewed beer” in Spanish), a Mexican drink made with beer mixed with tomato juice, hot sauce, or salsa. It is served in a chilled glass with a rim of chilli powder and salt. The best guess is that it appeared in the 1960s. There are all sorts of variations throughout Mexico, so there is no “official” recipe. But most versions of Michelada have similar ingredients. This is in a michelada:
- mexican blonde beer
- lime juice
- salsa juice or tomato juice
- Worcester sauce
- Hot sauce (we love cholula)
How do you pronounce Michelada? Mi-chay-lah-da. A Theory of the Origin of Names: Order”Micheladawhich means “my frozen beer” in Spanish! But know that we know for sure.
The magic of salsa juice
Many versions of the michelada use tomato juice or even clamato juice (also used in a Caesar). We used salsa juice for our interpretation! What is that? Just put a few spoonfuls of salsa in a colander and strain the juice! You get a little more flavor than just tomato juice. Sure: If tomato juice is easier for you, you are welcome to use it.
Our inspiration? The mixer salsa recipe featured in our cookbook (Pretty Simple Cooking) was created by a chef at a traditional Mexican taquería in Miami called Taquiza. The recipe calls for leaving the salsa in the fridge to let the flavors blend, then straining out any juices that collect. Taquiza’s chef told us that this “salsa juice” is absolutely delicious and that you can save it for a michelada. After trying it for ourselves, we were convinced!
It’s all in the rim: the best Michelada salt!
Now the rim of a michelada is paramount! Just as a margarita isn’t the same without a salt rim, this drink isn’t entirely saltless either. (Believe me, I tried it when I was feeling lazy once…it just wasn’t the same.) Typically, a Michelada rim contains at least chilli powder and salt, but you can get creative too! Many people like to use tajín, a popular mix of chili, lime, and salt. Here’s what we used:
- chili powder For tradition!
- Old Bay This American spice blend is powerful. Use store-bought or homemade.
- celery salt Celery salt adds an extra flavor nuance compared to plain salt.
Make a statement with Clear Ice
If you really want to make your cocktails mind-blowing, try this Michelada with clear ice! Clear ice is crystal clear ice that you can cut into big cubes: it looks like you would get it in a fancy restaurant or bar. Luckily: It’s easy to do at home! All you need is 24 hours and a small cool box. Here’s how to make transparent ice cream.
When to serve a Michelada
This Michelada beer cocktail is light and festive. It’s great like:
The description
The Michelada is a spicy Mexican beer cocktail made with tomato juice, lime, and hot sauce! Light and refreshing, it has a salty and spicy edge.
- 12– Ounce of Mexican lager
- 1½ ounce (3 tablespoons) lime juice
- ½ ounce (1 tbsp) salsa juice (strained from a salsa glass) or tomato juice
- 1 teaspoon Worcester sauce
- 1 teaspoon Hot sauce (like cholula)
- For the rim: 1 tbsp Old Bay (store-bought or homemade), 1 tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp celery salt
- Ice to serve (try clear ice!)
- In a plate, combine Old Bay, chili powder, and celery salt and spread in an even layer. Cut a notch in a lime wedge, then brush the lime over the rim of a glass. Dip the edge of the rim in a plate of spices.
- In the glass, combine lime juice, salsa juice (use a fine mesh strainer to strain the salsa juice from a few spoonfuls of salsa), Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce.
- Fill the glass with ice. Top up with beer and stir gently.
- Category: drink
- Method: shakes
- Kitchen: cocktails
- Diet: vegan
More great Latin American style cocktails
Do you like Michelada? Here are some other great Latin American and Mexican cocktails to choose from:
- Paloma Combine tequila and grapefruit and you have the classic Mexican Paloma cocktail!
- Pisco Sour The magical blend of pisco and lime in this Peruvian sour gives it a distinctive flavor.
- The Brazilian national drink Caiprinha is particularly refreshing! Made with cachaça and lime, it’s truly unique.
- Classic Mojito Here’s a classic mojito recipe, perfectly balanced with lime, rum and fresh mint! This iconic Cuban cocktail is refreshing and just sweet enough.
- 15 Best Margarita Recipes Try all of our best margaritas, from mezcal to jalapeno to strawberry.
- Ranch Water A Texas-style tequila highball drink made with lime, tequila, and topo chico! This sparkling cocktail is designed to refresh you on hot days.
