Michelada

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Michelada
Cocktail
Michelada in a salt-rimmed glass
TypeMixed drink
Base spirit
ServedIn a chilled, salt-rimmed glass
Standard garnishLime
Standard drinkware
Pint glass

A michelada (Spanish pronunciation: [mitʃeˈlaða][1]) is a Mexican drink made with beer, lime juice, assorted sauces (often chili-based), spices, and chili peppers. It is served in a chilled, salt-rimmed glass. There are numerous variations of this beverage throughout Mexico.[2][3]

A michelada
A michelada made with Mexican lager beer, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, black pepper, hot sauce, and garnished with salt, cayenne pepper, and a lime wedge

In Mexico City, the most common form is prepared with beer, lime, salt, and particular hot sauces or chile slices. There are several other optional ingredients, such as Maggi sauce, soy sauce, Tajín, Worcestershire sauce, chamoy powder, serrano peppers, or clamato.[4][5][6][7][8]

Origin[edit]

There are two popular versions of the origin and etymology of the michelada.

One involves a man named Michel Ésper at Club Deportivo Potosino in San Luis Potosí, Mexico.[1] In the 1960s, Ésper began to ask for his beer with lime, salt, ice, and a straw, in a cup called "chabela", as if it were a beer lemonade (limonada).[9] Members of the club started asking for beer as "Michel's lemonade", with the name shortening over time to Michelada. As time went by, other sauces were added to the original recipe. Today, it contains the same ingredients as a chelada, but contains ice and chile powder on the rim.[1][10]

Another etymology states that michelada is a portmanteau of mi chela helada. The word chela is a popular term for a cold beer in Mexico; therefore the phrase mi chela helada means "my ice-cold beer".[1][11][12]

Commercialization[edit]

In the 2010s, major U.S. beer producers began marketing cervezas preparadas, illustrating the wide variety of recipes in the chelada/michelada category and acknowledging its popularity among the country's Latin American population, along with the increasing popularity of the drink outside of the Latin American population.

In 2007, Miller Brewing Company began producing Miller Chill, a "Chelada-style light lager with a hint of salt and lime".[13][14] Anheuser-Busch makes Budweiser Chelada and Bud Light Chelada, a combination of lager, clamato, lime juice, and salt.[15][16] In 2012, Tecate began offering a michelada flavored with lime and spices.[17][18] In 2015, Cervecería Centro Americana, a Guatemalan Brewery, released a Michelada under the trade name Dorada Draft Michelada Chiltepe.[19] The beverage is spiced with chiltepe peppers, a small, fiery pepper popular in Central American cuisine.[20]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Carreno, Carolynn (27 April 2003). "Soul on Ice". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  2. ^ Maggie Savarino (15 July 2009). "Search & Distill: Michelada Is Your Standby Beer, Only Better - Page 1 - Food - Seattle". Seattle Weekly. Archived from the original on 4 January 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  3. ^ "Mexican companies pushing spicy beer mixes in US market". FindArticles.com. Business Journals, Inc. 19 December 2005. Archived from the original on 25 November 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  4. ^ Thompson, Kat (28 May 2020). "Micheladas Are the Summery Beer Cocktail You Should Be Drinking". Thrillist. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  5. ^ Magazine, Sauce. "Drink this michelada from Nixta". Sauce Magazine - Drink this michelada from Nixta. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  6. ^ Merker, Kate (29 March 2021). "Spicy Michelada". Country Living. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  7. ^ "It's Time to Rethink Micheladas, a Complex Mexican Icon". VinePair. 30 October 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  8. ^ Femmel, Kevin; Elizarraras, Jessica (17 October 2017). "Micheladas Get Crafty: The Hangover Cure Evolves in San Antonio's Food Scene". San Antonio Current. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  9. ^ "Low Proof: The Savory South Of The Border Flavors Of The Michelada". The Chicagoist. 1 July 2014. Archived from the original on 31 May 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  10. ^ "Micheladas: Beer with a Mexican Flavor". mexico.mx. 3 June 2016. Archived from the original on 7 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  11. ^ Bond, Courtney (May 2014). "Michelada". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  12. ^ "What is a Michelada?". mambochelada.com. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  13. ^ "Flash Detect: Miller Chill: Light Lime Beer". Miller Chill. Archived from the original on 25 November 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  14. ^ "Miller Chill Is Out After Frigid Sales". adage.com. 12 November 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  15. ^ "Budweiser Chelada". Ratebeer.com. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  16. ^ "We Tried a Bunch of Canned Micheladas and Ranked Them From Undrinkable to Surprisingly OK". InsideHook. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  17. ^ "Tecate Michelada". Beeradvocate.com. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  18. ^ "Heineken launches new beers in US market". The Drinks Business. 30 August 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  19. ^ "Dorada Draft Michelada, la cerveza picante". Revista Estrategia & Negocios (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  20. ^ "Michelada Chiltepe: Una cerveza para picar". Soy502.com. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
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