Michelada Recipe

Before you start

A michelada is beer dressed up with lime, salt and savory, spicy seasonings, served in a salt-rimmed glass over ice. Recipes vary widely across Mexico and the United States: some are just lime and salt, others add hot sauce and a dark, savory seasoning such as Maggi or Worcestershire, and many add tomato or tomato-clam juice. This version sits in the middle, with lime, hot sauce and seasoning but no tomato, so the beer stays bright.

Choose a light, crisp Mexican-style lager; heavy or very hoppy beers clash with the lime and spice. Build the seasoning in the bottom of the glass, add ice and pour the beer slowly so it does not foam over. Top up from the bottle as you drink, adding more lime or hot sauce to taste.

Ingredients

• 355 ml (12 oz) Mexican-style lager — 1 bottle or can, very cold
• 30 ml (1 oz) fresh lime juice — about 1 lime, plus a wedge for the rim
• 3 to 4 dashes Mexican-style hot sauce
• 2 dashes Maggi seasoning or Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp coarse salt — for the rim
• 1 tsp chile-lime seasoning or chile powder — for the rim
• 1 glassful ice cubes

Method

1. Mix the salt and chile seasoning on a small plate. Run a lime wedge around the rim of the glass and dip it into the mixture, turning to coat evenly.
2. Squeeze the lime juice into the glass and add the hot sauce and Maggi or Worcestershire. Stir with a spoon to combine.
3. Fill the glass with ice. The beer should be ice-cold, but extra ice keeps it that way as you drink.
4. Tilt the glass and pour the lager slowly down the side so it does not foam over the seasonings. Fill to about two-thirds or three-quarters.
5. Give one gentle lift with a spoon to bring the seasoning up through the beer. Taste and add more lime or hot sauce if you like.
6. Serve with the remaining beer in the bottle alongside, to top up as you go.

Tips for success

• Maggi is very salty and savory. Start with one or two dashes and add more only after tasting.
• Chill the glass in the freezer for a few minutes. Beer foams less in a cold glass and stays crisp longer.
• A rim of chile-lime seasoning gives a salty, tangy bite with every sip. Keep it to the outside edge so it does not fall into the drink.

Substitutions

Mexican-style lager

Any light, crisp lager or pilsner works. A darker Mexican lager adds malty, caramel notes that suit the savory seasoning.

Maggi seasoning

Soy sauce gives a similar savory note. Worcestershire contains anchovy and adds tang as well as depth.

Hot sauce

Chipotle hot sauce adds smoke; a dash of chile powder in the drink gives dry heat instead of vinegar.

Variations

Tomato michelada

Add 90 ml tomato juice or tomato-clam juice with the seasonings for a more savory, Bloody Mary-like drink.

Chelada

Use only lime juice and a salt rim, skipping the hot sauce and seasoning, for the simplest version.

Troubleshooting

The beer foams over

Pour slowly down the side of a tilted, cold glass, and add the beer after the ice rather than before.

It tastes too salty

The seasoning sauce was heavy-handed or the rim salt fell in. Add more beer and lime, and rim only the outer edge.

It tastes flat and beery

It needs more acid and salt. Add a squeeze of lime and a pinch of salt from the rim.

Storage

Serve immediately while the beer is cold and fizzy. Leftover salt-chile rim mix keeps in a sealed jar at room temperature for months.

Safety notes

Contains one 355 ml (12 oz) lager at about 4.5 to 5% ABV, roughly 1 U.S. standard drink. Worcestershire contains fish, and Maggi and soy sauce contain wheat or soy. Serve only to adults of legal drinking age and never drink and drive.