Michelada

The Michelada is a delicious, savory Mexican beer cocktail. Essentially a Bloody Mary made with beer, the Michelada is a drink you don’t want to miss.

About this Michelada recipe

Years ago, my coworkers and I celebrated Beer Friday every week. We would take turns bringing in a brew to share with the team. At “beer o’clock” on Fridays, whoever was still at the office would gather to crack open a cold one and begin the count down to the end of the day. It was a great way to try new beers.

One week, someone brought in cans of “Chelada with Clamato,” which is a brand of beer cocktail made with tomato and clam juice. I fell in love. This beer is essentially a canned michelada, but I later found out you can make this beer cocktail yourself — and is so much better when you do!

Here, the beer acts as the primary alcoholic agent, the same way any spirit does in any other cocktail recipe. It is a type of cerveza preparada, which means “prepared beer” and is essentially a beer cocktail.

Trust me on this one: Bloody Mary lovers everywhere should give this variation a try. (However, there’s no vodka in sight.) This tomato juice cocktail is perfect for happy hour on a hot day or you can serve it up for Cinco de Mayo.

What is a Michelada?

Pronounced “mee-chay-lah-duh” in Spanish, the michelada is often nicknamed the “Beer Bloody Mary,” and it’s a delicious one. The classic Bloody Mary features vodka and tomato juice, while the Michelada is made with beer for the added alcohol.

Made with tomato juice, lime juice, hot sauce and a light Mexican beer, the Michelada is a fantastic savory cocktail from Mexico. You may have seen Bud Light Chelada with Clamato in the beer aisle. It’s Anheuser-Busch’s brand-name michelada cocktail made with clamato juice, a mix of tomato juice and clam broth.

Ingredients

To make a michelada, you only need a handful of ingredients. Here are my tips for shopping for your ingredients:

On the rim, it’s important to add a salty rim to impart extra flavor into each sip. You can certainly buy flavored salts, but it is easy to whip up homemade Bloody Mary salt with salt, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. Add chili powder for extra spice if you like! Even a mix of sea salt and black pepper will do the trick. Tajín, or chili-lime seasoning, is another ingredient you can play with for the rim.

Use organic tomato juice if you can, but whatever you do, make sure to pick up on one that is 100% pure juice with no added sugar. This is a savory cocktail, so you don’t want your michelada to have any sweetness! Pick up some fresh limes, too, so you can squeeze your own lime juice. It makes a huge difference. About half a lime will be perfect for this drink.

Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce help to deepen the flavor. Hot sauce can be spicy, but you’re only using a few dashes per glass, so it will dilute and mainly provide peppery flavor.

Finally, a light beer is the best beer for your michelada cocktail. Bonus, you can save your cerveza (beer) to make beer margaritas and beermosas too!

Best Mexican beer for Micheladas

Corona, Modelo, Dos Equis, Pacifico and Tecate are common brands of Mexican lager you can find at most grocery stores, but any pilsner, lager or amber beer will do. The type of beer you use is up to you — feel free to use a craft beer or simply your favorite beer. Dark Mexican beers can also work if you’d like to play with flavor.

Instructions

Making a Michelada at home is a super simple to-do. You can mix it up right in the glass, or you can make a big batch of the base in a pitcher, then just pour it in and top with beer when you’re ready to serve it.

1. On a small, shallow plate or bowl, add your rim salt. Rub the rim of a highball or pint glass with the cut lime wedge, then roll the outside edge of the rim in the spicy salt mixture. (I used these beer can-shaped pint glasses.) Fill the glass with ice. Squeeze a lime wedge into the glass, and drop in the spent shell.

2. Add the tomato juice, lime juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and a pinch of salt leftover from rimming the glass. Stir to mix.
3. Slowly, pour the beer into the glass. (I find it is best to pour the beer from a few inches above the glass.) Stir gently, then add the lime wedge. Serve immediately.

Bloody Marys are known for their creative garnishes like a celery stalk, bacon or olives. However, the classic Michelada recipe is much more minimal. For your garnish, simply place a lime wedge on the rim of the glass. (I always squeeze them into my cocktail for extra zesty citrus flavor.)

Variations and substitutions

Though this is a classic recipe, feel free to make your own version of the best michelada.

• Spike it: If you’re feeling really brave, you can make a chavela, which is a michelada served with a shot of tequila either added to the drink or served on the side. (I recommend my jalapeño tequila for some extra spice.)
• Use Clamato juice: Clamato juice is a good substitute for tomato juice. It’s a mixture of tomato juice, dried clam broth and spices.
• Make it non-alcoholic: Use a non-alcoholic beer instead of regular beer to make this cocktail.
• Make it gluten-free: Use a gluten-free Mexican beer instead if there are allergy concerns.
• Spice it up: Experiment with different kinds of hot sauce and take the heat level as far as you can stand it. Cholula, Tapatio and Valentino’s are common and well-loved Mexican hot sauces. Chamoy sauce is popular too — it’s a sweet sauce of sweet dried apricots, spicy chile de árbol, salty Tajin seasoning and sour hibiscus flowers.

More beer cocktails

• Summer Shandy
• Corona Sunrise
• Monaco Cocktail

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Michelada

Yield: 1 cocktail

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes minutes

Essentially a beer Bloody Mary, the Michelada is a delicious, savory cocktail made with tomato juice and Mexican lager. Enjoy it on a hot day or for Cinco de Mayo!

5 from 43 votes

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ingredients

For Rim

• 1 tablespoons Bloody Mary salt
• 1 wedge lime for rim

Cocktail

• 3 ounces tomato juice
• 1 tablespoon lime juice about half a lime
• 6 dashes hot sauce such as Tabasco, Tapatio or Cholula
• 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 1 pinch salt
• 6 ounces Mexican beer such as Corona, Modelo or Tecate
• 1 wedge lime for garnish

instructions

• On a small, shallow plate or bowl, add your rim salt. Rub the rim of a highball or pint glass with the cut lime wedge, then roll the outside edge of the rim in the salt mixture.
  1 tablespoons Bloody Mary salt, 1 wedge lime
• Fill the glass with ice. Squeeze a lime wedge into the glass, and drop in the spent shell.
  1 tablespoon lime juice
• Add the tomato juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and a pinch of salt leftover from rimming the glass. Stir to mix.
  3 ounces tomato juice, 6 dashes hot sauce, 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce, 1 pinch salt
• Slowly, pour the beer into the glass. Stir gently. Garnish with a lime wedge. Serve immediately.
  6 ounces Mexican beer, 1 wedge lime

notes

Cholula, Tapatio and Valentino’s are common and well-loved Mexican hot sauces, so use your favorite.

Corona, Modelo, Dos Equis, Pacifico and Tecate are common brands of Mexican lager you can find at most grocery stores.

You can make a chavela, which is a michelada served with a shot of tequila either added to the drink or served on the side.

Clamato juice can also be substitute for tomato juice. It’s a mixture of tomato juice, dried clam broth and spices.

Feel free to use a non-alcoholic beer or gluten-free beer instead of regular beer to make this cocktail.

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bloody mary salt

can-shaped tumbler glasses

nutrition information

Yield: 1 cocktail

amount per serving:

Serving: 1oz Calories: 93kcal Carbohydrates: 11g Protein: 1g Fat: 0.1g Saturated Fat: 0.01g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.02g Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g Sodium: 96mg Potassium: 275mg Fiber: 0.4g Sugar: 3g Vitamin A: 393IU Vitamin C: 21mg Calcium: 20mg Iron: 1mg

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