Michelada

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Michelada
Type Mixed drink
Primary alcohol by volume
Served On The Rocks
Standard garnish Lime
Standard drinkware
Pub glass
Commonly used ingredients
Preparation Mix the fresh squeezed lime, Worcestershire, teriyaki (or Maggi, or soy sauce), hot sauce.
Notes This mix goes in the glass with the beer, not in a shot glass.

The Michelada is a popular Mexican alcoholic beverage of a genre known in Spanish as cerveza preparada (prepared beer) and in English as a variety of cocktail. There are several variations. In some cases it is similar to a Bloody Mary but containing beer instead of vodka, although a less complicated concoction of Mexican beer with sauces and lime juice added (see recipe below) is also referred to as a Michelada. The drink dates back to the 1940s, when mixing beer with hot sauce or salsa became popular in Mexico. In recent years, the drink has begun to become popular in the United States, and now various ready-made mixes are marketed and sold to US consumers.

Simply mixing beer with tomato juice is a popular version of cerveza preparada, but if lacking the salsa inglesa (Worcestershire sauce) or Maggi sauce, this concoction would usually not be referred as a michelada. If the Michelada has any type of hot sauce in it, in Mexico it may be called a "Michelada Cubana". The name is a double reference to both Cuba and the habanero pepper. The Habanero pepper is named after the capital of Cuba, "La Habana", and is one of the most intensely spicy peppers in the world[1] and so this spicy drink takes its name as a strained reference to both.

Recently, major American beer producers have begun marketing cervezas preparada, illustrating the wide variety of recipes in the Chelada/ Michelada category. For example, Miller Brewing Company produces Miller Chill which is a "Chelada-style light lager with a hint of salt and lime.". Going a different route, Anheuser-Busch is manufacturing Budweiser Chelada and Bud Light Chelada as a combination of lager, clamato, lime juice, and salt.[2]

Contents

[edit] Origin of name

In order to understand this cocktail's name, you need to be familiar with Mexican Spanish slang, more specifically from Mexico City. In Mexican Spanish slang, a cerveza is a chela. An iced beer is a chela helada. Note that ice is a very important ingredient of this cocktail in Mexico City. Mi is a possessive adjective meaning my. Michelada is all together, my frozen beer, mi chela helada, michelada.

Street legends:

The Michelada cocktail is often referred to as a Mexican drink; there is neither a clear nor official origin of the name, but the most widespread versions say that the name came after Mexico's Revolution General Augusto Michel, from San Luis Potosí in central Mexico, who used to drink his beer at his favourite restaurant with some spicy sauces and lemon juice. The other version of the origin of the name, also pointing to San Luis Potosí, says "Michel Esper" invented it in the Club Deportivo Potosino.

The most commons brands for making a chelada in Mexico are the brands of the Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery because their beers "Tecate" and "Indio" are the most appropriate in flavor for making a Chelada, at least this is what the Mexican popular markets of beers says, the Chelada is most popular in northern states rather than central or southern states of Mexico, that is why some south US States also had adopted the drink.

[edit] Recipe

This recipe is the most common way of preparing a Michelada.[citation needed] Into a chilled salt-rimmed mug or glass pour 325 ml (11.0 U.S. fl oz; 11.4 imp fl oz) of tomato juice or Clamato. Clamato is becoming more common.

  • A few drops of hot sauce, such as Valentina, Bufalo or McIlhenny's Tabasco sauce.
  • A few drops of Worcestershire sauce
  • A few drops of Maggi seasoning or soy sauce.
  • Squeeze a lime wedge (lemon would neither be strong nor sour enough).
  • Mix the ingredients in the glass.
  • Slowly add one 325 ml (11.0 U.S. fl oz; 11.4 imp fl oz) Mexican beer (preferably a light beer like Tecate or Dos Equis)

[edit] Recipe variations

The above recipe represents a common type of michelada; however, a wide variety of permutations exist.

Cuban Recipe: (In the state of Jalisco, Mexico it often goes by the name: Russa; In the Northern part of Mexico it is called Chelada)

  • Squeeze one lime in mug (depending on the juice you might just use one half).
  • Add salt
  • Add three cubes of ice.
  • Add what ever Mexican beer you want. Be careful when serving because salt makes the beer have more foam.
  • Mix and enjoy.

Michelada recipe: Mexico and Guatemala

  • Squeeze one lime in mug (depending on the juice you might just use one half).
  • Add a pinch of salt.
  • Add three ice cubes (iced beer is acceptable in Mexico).
  • A few dashes of Tabasco Sauce.
  • A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
  • Any Mexican beer. (Victoria Beer is a good choice, but it is not exported). Be careful when pouring because the salt will make the beer foam more than usual.
  • Mix and enjoy.

Michelada recipe:

  • Rim double rocks glass with salt
  • Pour 2 parts beer (Mexican is best; sol or tecate) and one part clamato (or tomato juice)
  • Hot sauce to taste
  • Splash of lime
  • Sprinkle of salt and pepper (it is important to do this last as the salt will cause the beer to foam)
  • Garnish with lime wedge

The simplified and more often used recipe:

  • Fill a glass with ice cubes.
  • Add juice of one lime.
  • Add hot sauce or dried chili flakes al gusto.
  • Add a sprinkle of salt, or leave out if the hot sauce is sufficiently salty.
  • Pour in one beer, preferably a European style lager beer that finishes bitter, a variety that includes most Mexican beers. Avoid American style beers that finish sweet.

Recently, San Antonio Spurs Champion Manu Ginobili has a variation of the recipe named for him as the "Manuchelada"

Manuchelada recipe:

  • Rim glass with Twang chili-lime salt
  • Fill with ice in a pint size glass
  • Squeeze the juice of one half lime onto ice
  • Shake half a teaspoon of celery salt and a half of a teaspoon of pepper into glass
  • Add two dashes of Worcestershire sauce to the mix
  • Add three to five dashes of Tabasco (according to taste)
  • Pour Heineken over mix
  • Shake in large shaker and pour back into glass

Michelada - El Salvador

  • one can of tomato juice
  • two cans of beer
  • hot sauce to taste
  • two limes
  • one tea spoon of salt
  • one table spoon of pepper
  • two dashes of Worcestershire sauce

Michelada - Honduras

  • Rim glass with salt
  • Add dash of Worcestershire sauce
  • One green lemon (lime)
  • Dash of salt
  • Dash of tabasco sauce
  • Dash of black pepper mixed with cumins
  • Fill glass with ice
  • Add Port Royal (local Honduran beer)

Kingchelada - Canada

  • 10 dashes of Tapatio hot sauce
  • 5 dashes Worcestershire sauce
  • a squirt of lime juice
  • 4 shakes of pepper
  • 4 oz Clamato
  • pour in 12 oz of domestic beer

QUADCHELADA - BROOKLYN, NY

  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • generous dash of Valentina Hot Sauce
  • seasoned salt to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • salt to taste
  • dash of Worcestershire
  • 1 part tomato juice to 2 or 3 parts beer (Tecate or Sol)
  • 4 ice cubes
  • salt-rimmed pint glass

Nichelada - Florida

  • 2 parts Mexican lager
  • 1 part Clamato (or tomato juice)
  • juice of a quarter of a lime
  • few dashes of Tapatia or Cholula hot sauce
  • 1 1/2 oz tequila
  • sprinkle of dried chiles de arbol (on top, for extra flava)

South Texan Chelada:

  • Salt rim of tall pint glass
  • ice to lower third
  • inch of lime juice in glass
  • black pepper
  • garlic powder
  • onion powder
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • celery salt
  • tabasco
  • light beer of choice
  • clamato and spicy V8 to taste

when making large quantities one can add some lemon juice and a dark beer as well, in addition to recipe above

[edit] References

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