Michelada is a popular cerveza cocktail in Latin America made with beer, lime, spices, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato juice or Clamato. It is used as a hangover cure and to make low-grade beer taste better. It is marketed by several companies, and some American beer companies have also started making their own versions.
Many Latinos take ordinary beer a step further with a cerveza cocktail known as a michelada. Not only squeezed lime, heat-creating spices and a little salt and pepper are added to the beer, but also Worcestershire sauce and tomato juice or the well-known Clamato mixture of tomato juice, clam broth and sugar. This brew is used as a sudden hangover cure in parts of Mexico and other Hispanic countries, as well as an effective way to make low-grade beer taste delicious.
This cocktail is popular in the warmer months of the year, but especially on Cinco de Mayo, the day Mexican independence from the French is celebrated. Many believe that the word michelada comes from the Spanish expression “mi chela helado”, which means “my cold blond”. The latter term indicates how many Latin Americans refer to light beer. Others dispute that the exact origin of the name is lost to history.
Michelada is produced in different ways / This is especially true in 2011 as several companies began marketing their own brands of drinks for sale in cans and bottles. The recipe on the official Clamato website combines 1 oz. of Clamato in a shaker filled with ice with the juice of a small lime and a dash of Worcestershire and pepper sauce such as Tabasco.
The 12oz beer can then be poured over the tomato-lime juice mixture in the cocktail shaker. As the carbonation subsides in the shaker, the rim of a pint glass is dipped in lime juice and then a concoction of chili powder, salt and oregano. The drink is then poured into the glass and garnished with a lime wedge. Some spice up the drink by adding more pepper sauce and even some chili powder or black pepper. For more of a kick, a shot of tequila or vodka wouldn’t be unusual.
Brewing companies in 2011, seeing how more and more customers accept the use of lime and even salt in their beers, are starting to mix it even more. A MicheMix beer produced by a Mexican company called Compañía Alimenticia del Norte began hitting American shelves in the 21st century. Conversely, American beer companies have begun making michelada cocktails and selling them in pop-top cans. Anheuser-Busch creates a Chelada with Budweiser and Bud Light. The company’s recipe is close to the standard michelada treat, containing clamato, lime, and salt to allow customers to add spiciness with their own bottles of hot sauce.
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