The Always Refreshing Michelada

 

If you’re in Mexico and on vacation, drinking beer is a must. But be aware that there are some major differences between how Mexicans drink beer, and how the rest of the world does.

Mexicans here in this part of the country drink the local favorites, namely Sol, Dos Equis, Superior, Montejo and Bohemia. With the weather being stifling hot the majority of the year, an ice cold one goes down just fine after a hard day’s work.

But here in Mexico, they also like to put a different spin on a plain old glass of beer, with a variation that is called chelada, or michelada, depending on what part of the country you come from. There are many “paisanos,” or countrymen, here in Mexico, who continue to argue over the name of the drink to this day. Roughly 50 percent say it is called a cubana, while the other half say it is called a chelada or michelada.

But no matter what name you call it, this popular Mexican alcoholic beverage is still prepared from the same basic ingredients. In Spanish, it is considered a “cerveza preparada” (prepared beer) and in English as a variety of cocktail. There are several variations of this mixture. The drink dates back to the 1940s, when mixing beer with hot sauce or salsa became popular in Mexico. In recent years, the drink has begun to gain popularity in the United States, and now various ready-made mixes are marketed and sold to U.S. consumers.

 

Chelada or Cubana

If the michelada has any type of hot sauce in it, it is generally called a “michelada cubana.” This mixture does not contain tomato juice, only spices.

 

Ojo Rojo

In some cases this drink is similar to the cocktail known as bloody mary, but with Mexican beer replacing the vodka. This is a less complicated concoction of Mexican beer with sauces and lime juice. Another favorite is simply mixing beer with tomato juice and sometimes a little Worcestershire sauce or the local Maggi sauce, although this version would not normally be referred to as an “ojo rojo” (red eye).

 

Recipe

Chelada or Cubana

    * Squeeze one green lemon in mug (depending on the lemon´s size, you might only need one half).

    * Add salt.

    * Add three cubes of ice (yes, beer with ice, that's how we drink it here).

    * Add whatever Mexican beer you want, but be careful when serving because salt makes the beer foamier than usual.

    * Mix it and enjoy your refreshing drink.

 

Michelada recipe:

    * Squeeze one green lemon in mug (as with the chelada recipe, you might only need a lemon half).

    * Add a pinch of salt.

    * Add three ice cubes.

    * Add a few dashes of Tabasco Sauce.

    * Add a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce.

    * Pour in the Mexican beer of your choice. Be careful when pouring because the salt will give the beer more foam than usual.

    * Mix and enjoy.

 

 

 

                                                                  OK-EC