Micha-Whata???

I remember the first time I had a Michelada...

(cue deedle-lee-deet music and the swirling fog of a flashback....)

I was sitting along a canal, watching a gondolier sing to newlyweds when I first tried this now-favorite drink....no, not in Venice, sadly.. but in The Venetian Hotel in beautiful not-downtown Las Vegas. We were at a Mexican restaurant when I spied a drink I’d never heard of on the menu, even with my vast background in beer and my penchant for mixing stuff into beer just to see what happens... intrigued, I ordered this Michelada.

I have since learned that a Michelada seems to be whatever a given creator says it is....in The Venerable Plotkin’s book, ‘The Bartenders Companion’ there are three recipes listed... one, just like what I had, and two others, similar, but with jalapeno juice or tequila...and I just saw a new show where a Columbian cutie made it with Tabasco, Worcestershire and a salt and cayenne rim... apparently, they like it spicy in South America...but it appears to be a completely different drink from the lime version, a fact that may be confusing to guests, who expect one thing and get another..

But the basic idea is a cold, salt rimmed glass, into which a nice tot of Rose’s lime juice or fresh lime juice is poured over ice. To that, you add a bottle of dark Mexican beer, like Negra Modelo. What transpires is one of the most refreshing and delicious drinks I’ve had.

Now, some think this is disgusting, mixing beer, lime and salt, with the further indignity of having the whole mess over ICE! Some others, like my friend Brian, think it is criminal to so desecrate a fine malted beverage such as Negra with all that stuff and bother.

But I?...I prefer to do away with scared cows... and give it a shot if it sounds good. And this did.

So, I’ve been telling people about this drink for, like, the last 5 years. I’ve tried to introduce it into various beer promos we do. I have gone to bat for the Michelada, only to find that that raucous noise behind me is the villagers, lead by Brian, with requisite pitchforks and torches, nay-saying me out of offering this, this cobbled together monster, on any menu.

So, imagine my surprise when two of the biggest brewers in the world debut ‘chelada’ style beers... Miller Chill, which, they tell us, is taking the country by storm.. and Bud & Clamato Chelada, which, they tell us, is taking the country by storm.

The Miller is a lime flavored beverage, along the lines of the style of chelada I enjoyed so much that day in Ven....etian... and the Bud, more like the Cutie's version.

(I would have loved to be in the room to see Auggie’s face when they came to him and said, “OO OO OO....IKNOWIKNOWIKNOW... CLAMS!!! We’ll put CLAMS in our beer!!!!! That’ll take their minds off the InBev debacle!!!! Look! Shiny!!”)

But, how ever it happened, how ever they came to this, how ever well it goes over or not, I’m glad to see the Michelada get its day in the sun. And I'm glad to be, once again, ahead of the curve. I do so enjoy that.

I have not tried either of the Chelada beers on the market, but, if you do try them and like them, don’t be afraid to make it yourself at home.. any version... with fresh, flavorful ingredients. Then, you can experiment with different blends...Rose’s or fresh, clams or not, spicy or not, dark beer or not. Limey or clammy or Worcestershirey, whatever floats your boat.

How ever it sounds good to you, give it a try. You may be pleasantly surprised. Or, if you are a beer purist, you may go into full stroke mode like I think The Beaumont just did.

Comments

[Oenoli]

Thanks, Diva! I'll mix up one of those 'Red Eyes' if I ever need to barf!

[Drinks Diva]

As long as the discussion is "Beer Mixability"...I'm a big fan of the old "Red Beer" - nothing better on a Sunday w. football. I haven't grew the stones to try the "Red-Eye" with raw egg, tomato, tobasco, horsradish & Worcestershire, but I am eager to find out if it really is the 'Ultimate Hangover Cure' - not that I would ever need it of course - all about moderation here - but I have a friend...