The Michelada is a quintessential beer cocktail. Hell, I’d go so far as to call it the best beer cocktail. The mix of hot sauce, lime, salt, and light lager beer just works. It’s amazingly refreshing on a hot summer’s day and works as wonderful hair of the dog year-round. That’s versatility!
Below, I’m breaking down how to make the perfect Michelada at home. The key to this one might sound a bit crazy at first. Ready? Here we go. Don’t use tomato-based juice, folks. A true Michelada is made without tomato (or Clamato) juice and leans on hot sauce for its ruddy hues.
The original or classic Michelada — and the kind you’ll still find all over places like Mexico City — is made with lime, salt, and hot sauce with lager. That’s it. It’s the perfect balance and doesn’t need the extra juice. Now that said, I’m never going to stop you from adding tomato or Clamato juice to your Michelada if that’s your comfort zone. But at the very least, try it in the quintessential way that I’m describing below once or twice.
Let’s dive in!
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Michelada
Ingredients:
- 1 12 oz. Mexican lager (ice-cold)
- 0.5 oz. fresh lime juice
- 0.25 oz. hot sauce (vinegar forward is best)
- 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 pinch of black pepper
- 1 pinch of celery salt
- 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
- Extra celery salt and cayenne pepper
- Lime wedges
I like mine very spicy. If you’re just looking for a light chili bump, cut the hot sauce in half and just add a dash or two and keep the cayenne to the rim.
As for the rest, this is all pretty straightforward stuff that you can get at any grocery store. I like Modelo as I have it in my fridge most of the time anyway. Any Mexican lager will work — Pacifico, Corona, Dos Esquis, etc.
What You’ll Need:
- Pint glass
- Jigger
- Hand juicer
- Pairing knife
Method:
- Wet the glass with a lime wedge and rim it with the extra cayenne pepper and celery salt.
- Add the lime juice, hot sauce, black pepper, celery salt, and cayenne pepper to the glass and top with a whole beer.
- Add a lime wedge to the rim and serve.
Bottom Line:
Yew! This is nice and spicy with a great lager malty body. The beer still 100% shines through with nice clarity while the lime, salt, and chili add extra layers of complexity.
Overall, this is still a very beer-forward drink that just keeps going with more citrus, spice, and savory flavor — that Worchestershire adds a nice anchovy/salty vibe. It’s also light and refreshing AF. This is a winner. It stays light thanks to the lack of tomato juice, which makes it great if you want more than one.
