Happy Hour: Michelada Experiment

The thought of beer cocktails never appealed to me, as for whatever reason mixing anything in beer just sounded bad.  Even to me, who loves to experiment and try new things.

But . . . recently I heard about an Ancho Chile Stout.  I love spicy, and I love dark beer.  Unfortunately, it’s a seasonal thing and was not available even for special order by that time *sigh*.

So, I resolved that it was finally time to start brewing my own just so I could try it and other experiments.  I’ve gotten as far as purchasing a Mr. Beer kit on clearance just to get a batch down my belt before I invest in my home brewery.

Meanwhile, I find an entry for “Mexican beer” when I’m browsing through our newly purchased Pati’s Mexican Table cookbook.

It’s for a Michelada.  Beer, lime juice, hot sauce, something salty, along with a salt lined glass.

OK, so that no longer sounds bad.  Especially since all we have is a variety of the light colored Mexican beers (Sol, Corona, etc), and I’m trying to save money and not buy the spendier specialty brew 6 packs anyway.  Worth a try.

And it was worth it!  For me, it’s actually a refreshing drink and the taste combination is delicious.  I just have to be careful and not have too many.

I’ve since looked up several Michelada recipes–and most are specific and say any deviation would be gross.  However, I find that my Michelada experience is based on taste and how much salt and spice flavor I want at the time.  It’s more like a Thai recipe–you have a guideline for the different flavor types you will use, but adjust it all to taste and it’s never EXACTLY the same.

Pati’s site has a Michelada recipe, which is more of a guide, and she calls the spicy version the playful version, although looking online Michelada’s are normally spicy.  If you need a “real” recipe that tells you exactly what to use and how much, you’ll need to do your own searching.

My Michelada Experiment

The Ingredients:

Light colored mexican beer (we usually have Corona Extra around, but your favorite will work.  I haven’t tried it with a dark like Negro Modelo, but feel free to experiment)

Hot sauce (start with your favorite Mexican hot sauce–for me Cholula is it.  I tried sricha and frank’s, neither worked for me)

Something salty (I use Maggi sauce, which Pati turned me on to– you can try Worcestershire sauce, Soy sauce, or just add a pinch of salt)

Optional:  Juice from a freshly squeezed lime (I skip this as it doesn’t add to the flavor for me)

Optional:  Rim the glass with salt, like a margarita (I skip this as well since the drink is salty enough)

I pour 1/4 of the beer into a frozen mug, add the other ingredients to taste (you will want the taste to be on the strong side at this point).  Stir well.

Add the rest of the beer slowly.  If it develops a large head, then just wait a minute for it to go down, then stir again.

Do a final taste test, add more of any ingredient you want stronger, and ENJOY!

Have you made a MIchelada and have your favorite take on it?  Please share!