How To Make a Mexican Michelada

Spice up your Mexican lager by turning it into a delicious Mexican Michelada. A Michelada is a Mexican drink that combines beer, lime juice, and spice. It’s more of a way to dress up your beer than a cocktail. Micheladas are super easy to make with a few simple ingredients. It’s the perfect drink for summer, but you can pair it with tacos all year round.

You might have seen or tasted Micheladas in the United States with tomato juice or Clamato, making it look like a Mexican Bloody Mary. Clamato is tomato juice flavored with dried clam broth and MSG. While Clamato is a thing in some regions of Mexico, it’s not in a traditional Michelada. 

A true Michelada in its simplest form includes just lime, salt, and beer. So, when you order a Michelada in Mexico City, they’ll bring you a Mexican lager with lime juice in a cold glass with salt on the rim. 

This recipe is considered a Michelada Cubana. To make it, you add lime juice, Maggi seasoning or Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce to the bottom of a glass rimmed with Tajin. Then, you pour in your beer and enjoy. I like to add chamoy around the rim as well to add a sweet yet spicy taste to every sip.

The beer

A Michelada is typically made with a light Mexican lager, such as Tecate, Modelo, or Pacifico. A Corona or Sol is a bit too light, and a Victoria (a true Mexican beer) is a bit too dark. 

Hot sauce

A vinegar-based hot sauce is best for a Michelada. You don’t want your hot sauce to be chunky. For Mexican brands, reach for Valentina or Tapatío. In terms of easy-to-find American brands, I like Texas Pete and Frank’s. I find Tabasco to be too smoky. 

Maggi Seasoning v. Worcestershire sauce

Maggi seasoning or Worcestershire sauce adds an umami flavor to your Michelada with just a few drops. I prefer Maggi seasoning because it tastes like an elevated soy sauce, but Worcestershire sauce will do the trick.

On the rim

Just like a margarita, a Michelada tastes even better with Tajin on the rim. Tajin gives every sip a chili-lime flavor. You can salt the rim by rubbing a cut lime on the rim and dipping the rim in a plate of Tajin. 

Chamoy, a Mexican fruit-flavored sauce, is also delicious on the rim. Chamoy reminds me of Mexican candies with a sweet yet spicy taste. Carefully squeeze chamoy on the rim of your glass, then dip the rim in Tajin for a sweet and savory combo. You can also add chamoy on the sides of your glass for extra flavor. You can find chamoy at Whole Foods (they carry the brand Siete Foods), but it’s also available at Mexican grocery stores.

Making a Michelada station

Out of all the Mexican drinks, a Michelada is the easiest to make on the fly at a party. For easy bartending, juice the limes ahead of time and put the juice in a squeeze bottle. 

You can make your life even easier by setting up a Michelada station for your guests to make their own. Print out this recipe or write it on a piece of paper for people to easily follow.

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