Michelada: A Refreshing Drink for Sunny Days

Michelada for those who enjoy a challenge: a Mexican beer-based drink with a spicy kick that is very easy to make

The michelada is a Mexican preparation made with beer and a spicy touch.

It adapts easily to different tastes and preferences, as it can be made in many ways using your beer of choice, with the addition of lime juice, salt and a range of spices, hot sauces and chillies.

Preparation is very simple: just rim a chilled glass (moisten the edge with lime juice so the salt sticks), add lime juice, and pour in the beer.

The Michelada has a refreshing flavour, making it ideal for sunny days.

In Mexico it is considered an excellent hangover remedy, which is why it is commonly enjoyed in the morning or around midday. One popular version of its origin points to the city of San Luis Potosí, specifically the Club Deportivo Potosino.

It is documented that a member named Michel Ésper (originally from Ciudad Valles) used to order a beer with lime, ice, salt and a 100% biodegradable straw in a glass known as a chabela, as if it were a beer lemonade.

At that time, no one drank beer with ice. However, the club members began to take an interest in this “strange lemonade” like Michel’s, and that is why it was given the name Michelada.

This event dates back to the 1970s and, over time, sauces to taste were added to the mix.

Another, more straightforward version of the name’s origin is that it simply means “my ice-cold beer”. Contrary to the tradition that existed in Europe, Mexico and the United States, “beer began to be consumed very cold, first with ice and later refrigerated when this invention became widespread in the mid-20th century; in other words, beer became ‘chilled’, while in most of the world beer was still being consumed at room temperature at that time”.

A chelada beer, or “chela”, is an ice-cold beer (chilled beer), to which, in addition to ice, salt and lime would be added... giving it that Latin flavour. Likewise, in a more seasoned version, a mix of hot sauces, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, etc. is added; all together, the mix and the chela would become a Mybeerade beer, which, pronounced according to Spanish rules, makes it clear that it is a Mix-chelada — a Michelada, then. 

Today, in many parts of Mexico there is a clear distinction between a “chelada”, which is a beer with ice, salt and lime, and a “michelada”, to which, in addition to the above, various sauces are added, giving it a denser mouthfeel and a more intense, sometimes even spicy, flavour. In some regions, the michelada includes hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, salt and pepper.

The michelada varies depending on the region and the country:

El Salvador: the michelada includes hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, salt and pepper. The rim of the glass can be decorated with salt or Tajín. There is another version that includes only lime juice, salt and hot sauce. The mix is always served with ice.

Guatemala: the mix consists of hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, tomato juice, lime juice, salt and pepper.

Mexico: In some regions, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, seasoning sauce, chamoy and even a commercial mix of tomato juice with a touch of oyster are used. Tropical fruit flavours such as tamarind and mango can also be added with concentrated juices. For example, in the state of Oaxaca, the lemon-and-salt preparation is known as “suero”; in central Mexico, this suero combined with beer is called a michelada.

Chile: there is a variation prepared with merkén instead of other sauces or hot seasonings. In some areas, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, seasoning sauce, chamoy and even a commercial mix of tomato juice with a touch of oyster are used.

This recipe has been adapted in many ways, so here we share one version for you to try. We hope you enjoy it.