August’s Drink of the Month Club “Drink of the Month” is something you’ve probably drunk before, but had no idea you were drinking it while you were. It’s a nearly ubiquitous in bars and restaurants across America in some form or another, but it’s so common it goes unnamed. If you’re a beer drinker and you enjoy Mexican food you’ve almost certainly received a beer with a wedge of lime crammed in the neck or resting on the top of the can, and enjoyed the sweet/sour combination of beer and fresh squeezed lime. Now, let me introduce you, by name, to this taste.
Michelada meet drinker, drinker meet michelada. Also known as cervesa preperada, or prepared beer, this is a cocktail that seeks to enhance the cool, refreshing qualities of Mexican, and domestic for that matter, lagers.
Origins are unclear, but some say the michelada was created as a way to make sub-standard Mexican beer palatable to American tourists. I’m not convinced this is true as most Mexican lagers outstrip the majority of American macro-brewed beers. So far, of all the Mexican beers I’ve tried, and I’ve tried most of them as this point, this is only true of Corona, whose bland, skunky taste requires limey goodness to make even approach drinkability. Other myths of origin suggest that limes were swirled around the mouths of beer containers in order to kill any bacteria lurking in the ice used to chill the beers at resorts. This seems more plausible, but I’m still skeptical. No, I think it comes down to man’s nature to try and improve on something. The michelada doesn’t necessarily try to reinvent the wheel, it’s more of a white walls and spinners deal.
Michelada recipes are as varied as the countries of South and Central America, utilizing a variety of native ingredients to enhance the both taste and rejuvenating qualities of native brews. Perhaps you’ve seen Bud’s “chelada” in a can, a foul, foul mixture of clamato juice and Bud, lite or regular—your choice!—is a variation on a common Mexican version, while a spicy Cubana contains Worcestershire sauce, Tobasco, chile, and salt. Stateside, the so called “shandy” is a michelada made up of lager and lemonade. There are literally endless variations of micheladas, the only limit is imagination and mixable ingredients.
I would now like to share with you a few of my favorite michelada recipes:
(Note: when making these I primarily used 12oz. bottles and cans of Modelo Especial and PBR, but any medium bodied lager, or “beer that tastes like beer” should do nicely.)
Super Simple Michelada:
Open beer, take drink, squeeze in lime, swirl to mix, enjoy! It’s as simple as that, just a little lime juice, even from the little squeezable plastic lime works nicely. If you want to class this up a bit and impress your friends remove the beer can from the fridge and let it stand at room temp for a minute or two until it starts to sweat a little bit. Once there’s enough condensation built up to make some salt stick, roll the rim of the can in kosher salt then open, drink, lime, drink again. If you’d rather not have to lick all the edges of the can to get a little salt every time, simply line the rim of a glass with salt, squeeze in the lime then pour beer over top to mix.
Nicolassa’s Famosa Beermosa:
Nicole would often speak of a michelada of her own invention. A self described greatest-thing-since-champagne-and-orange-juice drink she had dubbed “Beermosa” in honor of the aforementioned concoction. The recipe might actually be easier than our Super Simple Michelada: Into a pint glass pour one bottle or can of beer. Top with 3-4oz of your preferred orange juice, stir lightly to combine, and enjoy with the breakfast or brunch of your choosing. A delicious and refreshing way to start the day and/or take a little hair of the dog.
The RMC:
Like any lucky kid growing up I got to spend a fair amount of my childhood being spoiled by my grandparents. And for all the wonderful memories I have of my grandfather, one of the strongest was his interesting habit of seasoning certain food and drink items, namely his beer and watermelon which both received a pinch of salt. It was in that spirit, and the influence of 21st Amendment Brewery’s Hell or High Watermelon that I created this quaffable tribute. Once again coat the rim of a pint glass with salt, the easiest way to do this is to rub the edge with lime then upturn the glass into a saucer of salt; you could go out and buy a tub of “Margarita” salt, but why spend when you already have everything you need. Into this salty rimmed glass pour 2-3oz of watermelon juice (recipe follows). Top with a bottle or can beer and float a lemon wheel on top. The sweet watermelon, bitter beer, sour lemon, and salty salt makes this a drink that appeals to all the tastes. It is incredibly easy drinking, almost to a fault, and is should even appeal to the tastes of folks who claim to not like beer.
The Beer-a-Rita:
For a real kick in pants try this boozy version of the michelada. In a shaker or mixing glass combine, per person, 1 shot of tequila blanca, a healthy squeeze of lime (say an eighth or so), and a splash of triple sec. Add a shot of the mixture to a can of beer, from which a few sips have been taken and the edge has been coated with salt. You could, of course, do all this in a glass, but why when this is more fun. To a, mostly, full beer this imparts just a hint of margarita goodness throughout. Just a hint of the sweet/sour from the triple sec and lime, and that great fresh, earthy, grassy bite from the tequila. Watch out, though, this’ll michelada will really clean your clock.
La Michelada Ultima:
While the above recipes are all well and good—and by good I mean awesome!—they are admittedly anglicized versions of the michelada, so I wanted to create something that would be more traditional and authentic. This is what I came up with: take course salt, kosher would be best, and place 2-3 tablespoonfuls into a small Tupperware container. Shake in a few dashes of any or all of the following: chili powder, cayenne powder, or dried chipotle powder; there should be enough seasoning that there are red and brown flecks scattered throughout the slat, but not so much that it overwhelms the salt; no more than an eighth of a teaspoon per 3tbs of salt. Shake well to combine and empty onto a saucer. Rim a pint glass with the spicy salt and squeeze the juice of half a lime into the bottom of the glass. Some recipes call for even more than that—about 3-4 teaspoons per half—but I found that to be overwhelming, like drinking beer flavored lime juice; the object here is to enhance the beer, not burry it in an acid bath. To the lime juice add 2 dashes of bitters and a few drops of your favorite hot sauce. I suggest something less vinegary than Red Devil, Frank’s, etc. as drinking a big glass of vinegar appeals to few. I used a scotch bonnet sauce I like because it adds heat, but alters the flavor by very little. Valentina would be a nice authentic choice, or Cholula which is well balanced between flavor and spice. Pour beer over the lime/bitters/hot sauce and enjoy. The resulting elixir is a full bodied drink that satisfies nearly all the taste cravings and should leave a little sizzle in the throat and tingle on the lips. Remember this is meant to be refreshing, not excruciating so don’t go overboard.
Variations on the Theme:
While working out this final iteration I had a few other irons in the coals and found that these slight variations of the above recipe yield results just as satisfying, but not as bold. First, you can opt out of the spicy salt mix if you feel that’s too much, and for some it may be. Another option is to assemble as above leaving out the bitters until the end. Shake in a few dashes before serving, but don’t mix, allowing the bitters to mix in themselves as the beverage is consumed. Doing this let’s the michelada develop over time and each sip is different from the last. Again jumping off from the Ultima, before the beer is added pour in a splash of orange juice then add the beer to combine. The result is slightly sweeter, more of an aperitif than main course. Alternately add the OJ to the top of the glass at the end and allow it to mix in like the bitters. Unlike the bitters which form smokey trails through the michelada before they combine, the orange juice mixes and unifies much quicker. Either way, the orange juice in these iterations is more of a seasoning that full component so don’t use anymore of it than you’ve used lime juice.
These are just a few ways to jazz up your beer for your next fiesta, cookout, or regular old night of beer drinking. Use these recipes to impress your friends or invent your own and share them with me and the world!
Cheers!
Fresh Watermelon Juice:
Outside of squeezing citrus this may be the easiest juice to acquire at home. Purchase, or pick if you’re so inclined, the freshest watermelon available to you. I’m terrible at determining freshness so I opt for the precut. A good watermelon should have vibrant red/pink flesh that’s firm but yields to pressure. For this application seedless would be preferred, but a plethora of big brown seeds and a dearth of the little white ones is a sure sign of ripeness in the seed baring variety. Cut the watermelon into large-ish chunks, it doesn’t need to be fancy, and drop them into your blender or food processor. Let your machine work its magic for a minute or two then add more chunks until either the unit is full of juice or you’re out of melon. Pour the juice from your device into another vessel via a strainer. You’ll need to help it along by scraping the strainer with a spatula. This should remove most of the major pulp, but the liquid that remains will still have some texture, while this should be fine for most if you want it extra fine pour it through another finer strainer or one lined with a paper coffee filter. If it’s not already in one transfer this to an easy open storage container and refrigerate. I also added a few drops of lemon juice as a preservative. I got about 3 cups from just a quarter of a melon, so unless you’re planning a huge party this should be more than enough.
And if you’re wondering what to do with extra melon juice here are a few suggestions, other than just drinking it:
Into a blender pour one shot of coconut rum per 4oz of watermelon juice. Drop in a few ice cubes and pulse until mostly smooth. Pour into a highball and garnish with lime, watermelon slice, spring of mint.
For the more dessert minded take measure of your remaining melon juice, making sure you have around three cups. If not make some more, it seems to keep well. To the watermelon juice add a healthy squeeze of lemon and 6-8oz of pineapple juice to make about a quart of liquid. Chill well, then process in ice cream maker per your manufacturer's instructions.
