Michelada con Tequila
If you love Bloody Mary’s, you’re going to love the Tequila Michelada. Technically, it should be a Michelada con Tequila, but my Spanish is pretty bad. One of my friends from Costa Rica, who doesn’t speak English very well, tells me “My English is not very good looking” haha, well my Spanish isn’t very good looking either, but I try.
How to Make a Michelada con Tequila
My Tequila Michelada recipe is tequila, lime juice, a dash of hot sauce, Clamato, and a Mexican lager over ice. It’s cool, refreshing, and (allegedly) a great cure for hangovers. Maybe the non-Tequila version is a cure, I don’t think adding Tequila to a hangover is a good idea, lol. Served in a chilled glass over ice with a salted rim, the Michelada con Tequila is perfect on a hot summer day.
We were drinking our Tequila Micheladas out by our garden pond and my sweet dog Piper wanted into the photograph. how can I resist that smile?
A traditional Michelada recipe does not have Tequila in it, it’s excellent just the way it is. However, I like the kick the tequila adds to the drink. It makes it a little more of a cocktail rather than just a beer over ice.
All Latin American countries have their own slang. What means hip and cool in Mexico means absolutely nothing to someone from any other Spanish speaking country, and vice versa. A ‘Chela’ is Mexican slang for a cold beer and is a rough equivalent of the USA slang ‘Brew or Brewski’. ‘Helada’ literally translated as ‘Frost’ or ‘Icy’. Therefore, a beer served over ice would be ‘Mi Chela Helada’ or ‘My Ice-Cold Beer’.
Michelada Ingredients
Michelada cocktails have several ingredients with savory qualities that give the cocktail it’s unique character, flavor, and drinkability. Here are the ingredients for my Tequila Michelada:
- Clamato: A tomato juice and clam broth cocktail mixer. The flavor of the clam is very mild, just enough to give it a great distinctive slightly savory flavor. Bloody Mary Mix is a good substitute, but use Clamato for the real deal.
- Tequila: Not all Micheladas have Tequila in it, however, the Michelada con Tequila is the way to go. Distilled from the blue agave plant, Tequila originated near the city of Santiago de Tequila in the state of Jalisco in Mexico.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Worcestershire sauce is a fermented fish sauce with a unique savory flavor. It enhances the Clamato and helps round out the flavor of the Michelada.
- Hot Sauce, Lime Juice, and Salted Rim of the Glass: Layer after layer of unique flavors, each addition makes the Michelada con Tequila all the more individual and unique. Mexican Beers, Tequila, and Clamato all love salt and lime juice. The hot sauce just adds that perfect finishing touch to the Michelada.
- Mexican Beers: Lagers and dark beers both work great in a Michelada. I have made the drink using both and do not have a preference
Here’s my Michelada con Tequila recipe:
Michelada con Tequila
Equipment
- Cocktail Shaker
Ingredients
Makes 2-Micheladas
- 3 Ounces Tequila
- 4 Ounces Clamato or Bloody Mary Mix
- 1/2 Ounce Worcestershire Sauce
- 3-6 Dashes Hot Sauce 3 is pretty mild
- 1 Lime Juice Only
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
- 2 Bottles Mexican Lagers
Garnish
- Salt the rim of the Glass
- Lime wedges or slices
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except Lagers in a cocktail shaker over ice, shake 40-50 times until ice cold
- Take two frosted beer glasses, rim the edges with salt and fill with ice
- Add half the mix from the cocktail shaker to each glass, top off with an ice-cold Mexican Lager
- Garnish with limes
fall
Thank you very much for your post and receipt.
Just a quick cultural observation, the quote: ”My English isn’t very good looking” is in fact a phrase said by a well known Cuban singer Celia Cruz, who actually didnt speak english very well. The phrase actually goes: ”My english is not very good looking”.
😉
Robert Becotte
I loved your column, but I think the amount of calories might be a little low. A shot of tequila is about 90 calories and a half of beer is at a minimum 50 calories. I’ve taught many non Spanish establishments in the New England area how to make them, they are very refreshing.
Steven
Hi Robert, thanks for the comment and the 5-star rating. I’ll have to run the recipe through my recipe computer program again and see if I get different results. Hopefully, it isn’t giving me bad info! Cheers and thanks again for the comment.
Sean
Awesome cocktail! This is the best recipe for this drink that we’ve seen on the internet! Well done!!