A michelada is a beautiful Mexican beer cocktail supplemented with lime juice, hot sauce, chile powder, various seasonings, and sometimes a form of tomato juice (any recipes that include Clamato are my favorite kind). This is a top-five alcoholic beverage, because micheladas function as a thirst-quencher while also providing all the satisfaction of eating a savory snack. All in all, it’s a great drink to sip on when you’re hungry. And we’ve got a way to make them taste even more like summer.
The best micheladas aren’t hard to make. The thing is, they do include a lot of ingredients from an array of different bottles, whether it’s a shaker of Tajin, Worcestershire sauce, or chamoy (a Mexican sauce made of pickled fruit). So typically, when you decide to whip one up, you’ll find your countertop suddenly cluttered with alchemical bottles pulled from the pantry.
Here’s a simpler solution: make our recipe for michelada base, sans beer, then pour the mixture into an ice cube tray and freeze. When a scorching summer day comes around and you want something cool to drink on your back porch, grab a pint glass, drop in a few michelada ice cubes, and pour your favorite crisp, cold beer right on top.
You can get to drinking right away, and your first sips will be pure brew. As the michelada cubes melt (take your time!), the savory and tart bloody-mary-like base will diffuse into your drink, turning it into a salty, tangy sipper as you get closer to the bottom. If the cocktail starts to get too salty near the end, simply top off your glass with more beer. You can use non-alcoholic beer for this as well, and it’ll be just as delicious.
Michelada ice cubes
- 12 oz. Clamato (highly recommended) or tomato juice
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp. soy sauce
- 2 tsp. hot sauce, such as Valentina, Tapatio, or Tabasco
- 1/2 tsp. Tajin powder
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Transfer mixture to ice cube tray and freeze.
To serve, simply toss 2 to 4 ice cubes in a pint glass and top off with a light beer of your choice. If you want a snack on the side, I highly recommend a shrimp cocktail.