Broad Banter: Micheladas

It’s a very well-known fact that I am obsessed with brunch and that my usual go-to brunch drink is a Bloody Mary. But times, they are a changing! Over the past year I have grown to love micheladas. I first had them while I was visiting Beard in California a few years ago. I thought they were delicious and different but I wasn’t yet hooked. I stuck to my bloody marys and mimosas. Fast forward to last year when we were in Mexico at an all inclusive resort. We were able to get booze 24/7 and both Beard and I had to try a michelada immediately. They were SO GOOD and became our go to morning beverage and our drink of choice when we needed a break from the slushy sweet vacation fare.

What Makes a Michelada
To put simply, a michelada is a Mexican tomato-based beer cocktail. “Michelada” is essentially Spanish for the words “beer,” “cold,” and “mine,” and there’s no hard and fast rule about a single way to make one. In fact, there are so many ways to make a michelada that some of the variations have their own names. For example, a chelada is beer, lime and sea salt. A cubana contains Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, chile, and salt. Depending on where you are in Mexico, the recipe will vary. When we were in Riviera Maya the resort’s recipe was simple, and most of the bars pre-made their mix. It was comprised of maggi seasoning, hot sauce, lime juice. Simple and delicious.

The Beer
For the beer, it’s best to stick to the lighter Mexican lagers. My personal favorite is Pacifico which also happens to be one of my all-time favorite beers. Other beers that work well are Tecate, Modelo and Bohemia. At our resort, they only served Dos Equis so the micheladas were made with that. Now, we personally are not fans of Dos Equis (we actually realized this at the resort, huge bummer) but the micheladas still tasted great. I think concentrating on making a delicious mix is more important than finding the perfect beer.

The Mix
As stated above, the tomato mixture is key to the perfect michelada. I have made them with both clamato and tomato juice, but prefer clamato juice. It just seems to have something extra that tomato juice doesn’t. It’s a bit lighter, yet a tad more savory.  Beard says the word I’m looking for is umami, but that also sounds pretentious.  Other important tips:

Maggi Seasoning: This is the most important ingredient on this list. If you make alterations elsewhere in the recipe, don’t you dare mess with this.  Honestly, it’s not something I would normally think about adding to any beverage, but it’s what they used in Mexico. It adds a crazy yet subtle amount of flavor to the beverage. You could get away with just adding this and skipping the worcestershire sauce (however I still like to add it to my micheladas). Some recipes call for adding soy sauce, I really do not recommend adding it but its up to you!

Hot Sauce: Many recipes will call for Tabasco and I think that’s fine for this drink. It’s all they used at the resort and they were delicious. But, my personal favorite hot sauce (for food and drinks) is Cholula, more specifically the Chili Lime or Chili Garlic flavors. The Chili Lime is PERFECT for micheladas and bloody mary’s.

The one other thing you can’t skip out on for the drink is lime juice! We prefer fresh lime juice but if you don’t have any limes handy we love this Nellie & Joe’s Key Lime Juice. It’s perfect to keep in the fridge for drinks, dressing, etc.

Why Micheladas?
Besides the fact that they taste amazing, there are many beneficial reasons why you should drink micheladas.  The electrolytes in the salty ingredients help to slow the dehydration your body will experience from the alcohol in the beer. Your body also depends on those electrolytes for proper absorption of water.  Citrus fruits contain calcium and potassium which when combined with salt, provide a balance of pH and fluid levels in the body.

Micheladas are really the perfect summertime drink.  When its sunny and warm out, many people will reach for an ice cold beer. With the michelada you’ll stay cool and refreshed, and the drink’s mix will help replenish the fluids you lost from partying the night before.  They’re even better for hangovers than other brunch beverages!

One of the folklore cures for nausea is sipping beer, especially dark amber beers such as Negra Modelo. Beer’s carbonation can also help settle your stomach while supplying an anesthetic effect.  There is even science out there that has shown that beer can help stimulate gastrin release, which aids in digestion.  Now for the recipe:

RECIPE (for a pitcher or about 8 drinks)
Ingredients:
1 bottle of Clamato (or tomato juice)
32 oz of chilled Mexican lager
1/2 cup lime juice
1 1/2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. hot sauce
2 tsp. Maggi Seasoning
2 Tbsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. chili powder
Lime wedges (for serving)

PREPARATION
Mix Clamato, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and Maggi Seasoning in a large pitcher.  Mix salt and chili powder on a small plate. Rub rims of pint glasses with lime wedges and dip in salt mixture. Fill glasses with ice, add a bit of the Michelada mixture, top off with lager and garnish with lime wedges.
*Play around with the recipe and tailor it to your liking. I don’t measure anything out for this, and I tend to add a lot more Maggi and lime juice than most recipes call for.

To sum it up, micheladas are a delicious, refreshing, hydrating beverage that should be added to your brunch cocktail menu. You don’t have to be in Mexico to enjoy one, just add a couple extra items to your grocery list and you can make the perfect michelada at home!