This Michelada Recipe is a Mexican cocktail made with Mexican beer, seasoned with lime juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire and Soy Sauce. Add a healthy amount ice cubes and you’ve got a thirst quenching refreshing drink with a punch of zest and spice.
What Is a Michelada?
A Michelada is a “Mexican beer cocktail”. (pronounced mEE-shaw-lah-da) It’s a Mexican cocktail that routinely combines beer, with a spicy red sauce, lime juice and spices. It is served in a chilled salt rimmed beer glass over ice. The red sauce for a Michelada is traditionallymade from hot sauce.
Micheladas have been around for decades in Mexico and are especially popular in the Northern areas of Mexico. It seems there are as many recipe versions as there are bartenders.
What makes this the best Michelada Recipe? I’m using an authentic recipe passed on to me by a well-known Mexico-born, popular Denver chef who served it in his Mexican Restaurants around town. I’m thrilled to be able to recreate the process and make homemade Micheladas.
The flavors in this Mexican cocktail are as exciting as its appearance. Deliciously spicy and refreshing.
It tasts wonderful sitting in the warm fall sun on the back deck while waiting for the grill to heat for a sizzling steak dinner.
Simply stated, a Michelada is the perfect patio sipping beverage while grilling a steak dinner or lighter fare such as grilled fish tacos.
Let’s take a look.
Ingredients To Make The Best Michelada
Ingredients can vary from region to region, but classic Michelada ingredients include beer, lime juice, spices and a salty rimmed glass. And if you’re looking for a Michelada recipe without tomato juice or Clamato, you’ve come to the right place. Save that tomato juice for your next American cocktail, the Bloody Mary.
- Light Mexican Beer
- Tajin Seasoning: A spice mix that’s tangy, salty and a bit spicy. It offers a bright citrusy flavor with subtle chile notes.
- Limes, for fresh lime juice and garnish.
- Hot Sauce: We like Tapatio, its a very flavorful low heat level sauce. This recipe is very adaptable. Add more hot sauce to make it just right spicy for you.
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Soy Sauce
Ingredient Substitutions
- Mexican Beer: What are the best beers to make micheladas? Use your favorite brand. Tecate, Sol, and even a Modelo Michelada is a good choice here.
- Tajin: We’re using Tajin to coat the rim of the glasses. Substitute coarse salt if you’d like, or a combination of both.
- Hot Sauce: We like Tapatio brand, however please feel free to use your favorite. Cholula, Valentina or even Tabasco sauce works well here.
- Soy Sauce: You can make this Michelada recipe with Maggi sauce. It’s a great substitute for soy sauce.
How To Make Micheladas, It’s Easy
- Step 1: The Michelada Mix: In a bowl combine lime juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire and soy sauce and whisk well.
- Step 2: Press a lime wedge around the rim of two chilled glasses. Invert the glass onto a plate containing the Tajin.
- Step 3: Fill the glasses half way full with ice cubes. Divide the sauce mixture between the glasses.
- Step 4: Very slowly add the beer so that the thick mixture remains cozy in the bottom of the glasses. Top the glasses with a slice of lime or maybe even a small chili pepper for a festive look.
Tip: Cut a slit in the lime wedge crossways without cutting through the peel. This will make it easy to rim the glass with the lime juice and will serve as a notch in the lime to garnish the glass.
FAQ’s
This answer is simple. Your favorite Mexican Beer. Readily available Mexican Beers are Corona, Modelo, Pacifico, Sol, or Bohema. Choose a light lager that is refreshing in flavor that will complement the flavor of the spicy red sauce rather than a dark ale style beer that will over power.
Not for this recipe. I have seen versions that use tomato juice or Clamato juice, which makes it reminiscent to the popular Bloody Mary. To make the best Michelada recipe, use lime juice as the primary liquid along with hot sauce and spices.
Again, the answer is what you prefer. We like Tapatio because it full of flavor, nice and thick and medium spicy. Cholula is another nice brand. But if you’re wanting to kick things up, choose your favorite spicy hot sauce. It simply comes down to your personal preference.
A Chelada is a much simpler drink than a Michelada. A Chelada is simply beer where lime juice is added and the glass rimmed with salt.
Yes. Let’s say you want to make enough Micheladas to serve 8 people. Grab your favorite large glass pitcher. Multiply the ingredients by 4. Follow the directions in the recipe card. Mix the Michelada ingredients in the pitcher and then pour into eight ice filled, salt rimmed glasses. The only thing you’ll miss is the layered effect with the sauce separated from the beer.
Tips: How To Serve A Michelada
- Serve with a long straw. Why? For the first few sips you want to suck up some of that thick rich hot sauce from the bottom of the glass and then chase it with a sip of the cold sparkling ice cubed beer from the top. And a crunch of Tajin that is beautifully fringed on the glass. This makes for a unique flavor sensation.
- Garnishes: Have fun with the garnishes. A slice of lime is traditional and easy. How about a stalk of celery with top leaves attached. A cooked large shrimp sprinkled with chili powder placed on the rim. A slice of dill pickle would be fun. A small skewer alternated with green olives and cherry tomatoes. Have fun, make it yours.
What To Serve With Micheladas
Micheladas are the perfect Summer outdoor grilling, patio sipping beverage. They’ll go with anything that will come off that grill and here are some ideas.
- Grilled Flank Steak with Charred Caramelized Sweet Corn
- Grilled Chicken Skewers with Tomatillos and Mint Vinaigrette
- Steakhouse Burger with Fry Sauce
- Grilled Tacos al Pastor
More Mexican Drinks:
Best Michelada Recipe
Ingredients
- Tajin or coarse sea salt to rim glasses
- Plenty of ice cubes
- 2 12-oz. cans Mexican Beer such as Corona, Bohemia, Tecate or Corona
- 8 limes enough to squeeze into 1/2 C. lime juice
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce Tapatio, Cholula or even Tabasco.
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon Soy sauce Or Maggi
Instructions
- In a bowl combine lime juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire and soy sauce and whisk well.
- Press a lime wedge around the rim of two chilled glasses. Invert the glass onto a plate containing the Tajin. (or salt)
- Fill the glasses half way full with ice cubes. Divide the sauce mixture between the glasses.
- Very slowly add the beer so that the thick mixture remains cozy in the bottom of the glasses.
- Top the glasses with a slice of lime or maybe even a small chili pepper for a festive look.
Notes
- Tip: Cut a slit in the lime wedge crossways without cutting through the peel. This will make it easy to rim the glass with the lime juice and will serve as a notch in the lime to garnish the glass.
- Serve with a long straw. Why? For the first few sips you want to suck up some of that thick rich hot sauce from the bottom of the glass and then chase it with a sip of the cold sparkling ice cubed beer from the top. And a crunch of Tajin that is beautifully fringed on the glass. This makes for a unique flavor sensation.
- Garnishes: Have fun with the garnishes. A slice of lime is traditional and easy. How about a stalk of celery with top leaves attached. A cooked large shrimp wrapped around the rim. A slice of dill pickle would be fun. A small skewer alternated with green olives and cherry tomatoes. Have fun, make it yours.
Best Michelada Recipe …It’s Whats For Happy Hour
Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
Looks tasty!
I love Micheladas! If you like it spicy, add cayenne and chili powder to the salt that you use to rim the glass. It adds some color, too. Thanks for the recipe!
Used to get these all the time in a little beach town in Mexico. Ah, memories, or the lack there of. Lo siento about your hard drive. I’ve added a pair of Iomega external drives about 2 years ago and I sleep a little better. Best of luck!
Sounds like an interesting drink with tabasco, worchestershire, and soy sauce. Sorry to hear about your harddisk but glad that you are up and running. My laptop prior to the desktop died in 2 years and the desktop could not even make it pass 1 1/2 years. I think the motherboard gave up and so here I am with a new tower. This time we paid for the 4 year extended warranty.
I’m not a beer drinker either, so if you like it, maybe I will, too! It’s worth a try, anyway 😉
I can’t think of anything better to drink when your hard drive takes a hike! Never heard of it…have never been a beer drinker, but it sure looks tempting.
If my hard drive bit the dust, I think I would need at least five of these. Extra tabasco. They sound delicious!
GREAT coloring for the season!! I want to join you for happy hour!!
Really sorry to hear about your hard drive – hopefully you’ll get all the data. This drink sounds very interesting – never seen anything like it.
I don’t know if you realized it but it looks like an upside down candy corn. Quite perfect for Halloween!
my kind of beverage! We can’t keep enough tapatio around this house, we put either that or el pato in everything! Funny, I got online to search for a good adult bev for tonight (halloween) and followed your comment to your blog! fate I tell you!
Glad to hear you had a warranty.
What an interesting drink. I love the picture.
Happy Halloween!
I’d drink, too. :/
Looks like a good one to ease the pain.
Been there! Glad you’re back in business! That is a really interesting drink! looks good.
I am going to back mine up right now!