Bring DIY Michelada Ingredients With You Everywhere This Summer
On a recent summer Sunday, I was drinking Modelo with my friend Megan at a bar and complaining that it wasn’t michelada. I tried to order one, but the bartender told me they didn’t have them, and while the cold can of beer was refreshing, I wanted it to be seasoned with spices, hot sauce and lime.
“Just bring yours,” Megan said. As Michelada’s friend, she explained that in the summer in the past, she sometimes carried hot sauce and a container of hot salt mixture in her purse. At the bar, she asked for a glass and lime to accompany the beer and mixed it herself to prepare an impromptu michelada.
At that moment, I vowed that until the end of summer on earth – I believe the sun and other drunkards – are my witnesses! – I will never crave spicy, lemon beer again.
For those unfamiliar with michelada, Mexican beer cocktails traditionally combine fresh lime, hot sauce (cholula or tapatio are good options) and a rim of chili salt. As soon as it gets warmer, I go booze crazy, wanting to turn almost every beer into a savory drinkable one. I prefer using tajine , a mixture of salt, chili powder, and dehydrated lime that you can find in most grocery stores (as well as many grocery and corner stores). Otherwise, you can also make your own mixture with about 2 tablespoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of chili powder, and that will do.
There are endless variations; some call tomato juice or Clamato to get a Bloody Mary type beer. I got hooked on the recipe at Brooklyn’s Lulu & Po (now closed) where I was bartender – Chef / owner Matthew Hamilton asked us to add some soy sauce and Worcestershire, which gave it an umami punch.
Playing with new variations is part of the appeal, but as a last resort, one freshly squeezed lime, a few drops of hot sauce to taste, and a tagine rim (or just gently sprinkle some tagine directly onto the beer) is all you need to make your own. Michelada anywhere you find yourself with a cold beer this summer. This includes the beach, camping, park, house party, ferry, music festival – wherever you are thirsty.
For your beer base, a Mexican lager like Modelo or Tecate is preferable, but just about any pilsner or light soft beer will do – you should just avoid IPA or any real-flavored beer.
On a recent hike, we had three Budweiser crates to go through, so this is what I used when the urge arose and they did it. I made some michelleads right at the bank – a technique I’ve seen in restaurants like Mother’s Ruin and Mexicue . This will help if the beer is cold enough or you don’t have a cup of ice on hand and need to streamline the process: make your spice rim right on the lid, squeeze lime into the beer, and pour as much hot sauce as your lips can stand.
When it comes to treating beer in bars, you should know that not every bartender will be nice to your methods of making homemade drinks. When I used the technique of my friend Henry, who is a bartender in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, he compared it to Chris Trager (Rob Lowe) of Parks and Recreation bringing his own salad dressing to a restaurant. (He told me that it would be respectful to first ask the bartender if everything is okay.) Corey Miller , bartender at Sweet Afton, also advised “for hygiene and cleanliness reasons not to play bartender in the bar.” In any case, almost every bar has salt and lime, so carrying hot sauce in your bag is the only thing you need to do, which is really true, whether you are a Michelada monster or just a soldier in the war against overly bland food. Below are specific recipes in case you’re not ready for it yet:
Bare bones DIY michelada Essentials
Hot sauce to taste (cholula or tapatio will work)
2 table spoons Tazhin or mixture of salts and chili powder made with their hands for the rim
Whole Fresh Lime
Splash of Worcestershire, soy sauce (if any)
120 ounces beer, preferably Mexican lager
Michelada in the bank
Pour two tablespoons of tagine or chili salt mixture onto a plate and spread evenly. Rub a slice of lime over the rim of the beer can, and then dip the rim into the plate until the tagine sticks. (If you don’t have a plate handy, a neat sprinkle of tagine right on the lid of the can will do.) Open the beer and squeeze the rest of the lime straight into the can. Apply the hot sauce until it fills the top of the jar.
Michelada in a glass
Pour two tablespoons of tagine or chili salt mixture onto a plate and spread evenly. Rub a slice of lime along the rim of the beer glass and then lower the glass onto the plate until the tagine sticks. Squeeze one whole lime into a glass, add a little (no more than one teaspoon each) of Worcestershire and soy sauce, if you have them, and a few drops of hot sauce to taste. Fill a glass with ice, pour in beer and stir until smooth.