This refreshing Michelada recipe made with Clamato juice and Mexican beer is the perfect cocktail for brunch or alongside your favorite Mexican party foods!
Say hello to the best Mexican brunch cocktail – the Michelada! It’s light, refreshing and made with a dash of hot sauce. My kind of cocktail.
I made and photographed this Michelada recipe when my husband was out of town so naturally I ended up drinking both glasses. Oops! I didn’t want to be wasteful and have to throw one away or anything. I was just doing the right thing if you think about it. At least that’s what I keep telling myself.
If you’ve never heard of a Michelada before, you may be asking yourself…
What is a Michelada?
A Michelada is a Mexican cocktail made from tomato juice, beer and spices.
I like to think of Micheladas as the Mexican version of a Bloody Mary because they’re often served at brunch, they’re both touted as hangover cures and they both have that tomato-y quality. But instead of mixing the drink with vodka like a Bloody Mary, it’s mixed with a Mexican beer.
Michelada Ingredients
- Clamato juice
- lime juice
- Worcestershire sauce
- soy sauce
- hot sauce
- Mexican lager beer
Most of the ingredients in a Michelada are fairly well known except for maybe the Clamato juice. In case you’ve never heard of it, Clamato juice is a tomato juice cocktail made from tomato juice, spices and clam juice. That’s right, clam juice. It may sound a little weird, but it’s delicious!
It’s similar to a V8 tomato juice, but lighter and has a distinct flavor which works well with all the other ingredients, especially the Mexican beer.
You can find it at your local grocery store near the other juices or you can grab it on Amazon here.
How to make a Michelada
- Run a lime wedge around the rim of a glass and dip in coarse sea salt and chili powder. Fill beer glass with ice cubes.
- Add Clamato juice, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, hot sauce and a dash of chili powder.
- Top with your favorite Mexican beer. Stir and enjoy immediately.
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt (or any flaky sea salt)
- 3/4 teaspoon Tajin seasoning (or chili powder)
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- ice cubes
- 2/3 cup Clamato juice (or V8 tomato juice)
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 4 drops worcestershire sauce
- 4 drops soy sauce
- 4 drops hot sauce
- 1 12-ounce bottle Mexican lager beer
Instructions
- Mix together the salt and Tajin seasoning on a shallow plate.
- Moisten the rim of two pint glasses with a lime wedge. Dip the glasses into the salt mixture to coat the rim.
- Fill both glasses 2/3 full with ice.
- Divide the Clamato juice, lime juice, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and hot sauce evenly into each glass.
- Top both glasses evenly with beer.
- Garnish with lime wedges and enjoy!
Isabel’s Tips:
Nutrition Information
Worcestershire sauce… its American sauce hahaha. Took me a while to figure that out in Mexico. My Mexican wife (I mean doesn’t speak English wife) lives on Michelada’s. Everywhere I go in Mexico, from Querteratero to Chetumal I get differences in them. I am trying to find the perfect one.
I was raised in E. Los Angeles and tomato beer was the thing. Then I grew up some and made true micheladas. I love them. Now my daughter the heart doc scolds me for all the sodium just in the clamato juice. So I compromised I use low salt spicey V8 juice, more Picante sauce, more lime, and some crushed up cilantro. Yummy a heart-healthy michelada.
LOVE micheladas!!! After returning to the US from living in Mexico City for 4 years I bought 8 glass mugs like the ones you show to keep in the freezer for micheladas. I have turned so many people on to this wonderful Mexican drink, especially in the summer though I like them all the time. When you can get Key Limes, they are slightly sweeter and appeal to some. Great recipe and I had not thought to use Clamato, duh!
Instead of just salt on the rim, you can try Tajin seasoning instead. Yummm.
I’ve seen that at restaurants before. Great idea!
That’s the way I do it. Tajin is also always at the ready for corn on the cob.
It is delicious on watermelon too!
Would love to see the recipe for a pitcher, has anyone figured that ratio out?
Dear Isabel, Actually you can substitute fish sauce for soy sauce and it kicks the flavor up quite a bit, but be careful it’s very salty add a touch then taste it, before adding more. Thank you.
Thanks, Kenani. I’m definitely going to try that next time!
This is a variation of a Canadian drink called a Caesar. Instead of beer it calls for vodka or gin. It is delicious. You must try it. I will try this to compare and let you know. My heart and tastebuds belong to the Caesar but I am willing to give the Michelada a chance. 🙂
No, the Caesar and the Michelada are both variations of the American Bloody Mary. I like all three, but the Bloody Mary is clearly the one that gave rise to the others.
Love the recipe but need to provide you with the historical facts of the Caesar
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesar_(cocktail)
BTW, plan to try a variation on your Michelada with a new toy I received for Christmas, the smoking gun.Ill let you know what it adds to the Michelada:-) https://www.sousvidetools.com/toolshed/recipes/smoked-bloody-mary-smoky-mary/
Ooh, that smoking gun sounds great! I’ve always wanted to try one!
Ah, most definitely! I have been trying to perfect my miches a lot lately and I wish I had seen your receipe a long time ago! Most of my problems are attributed to me making it way to complicated. I’ve been using too many ingredients and to make things worse, I haven’t documented what and how much to use. Which makes for loads of fun when you finally get a good one then attempt to recreate it later. Anyway, I’m about to try your recipe and I’d be willing to bet that simplicity will get me where I’ve been trying to go all this time.
Ooooo! Love your recipe!
When I’m hot and thirsty.. I just grab a frosty cold mug from my freezer, the spicy Clamato and whatever Mexican beer is in the fridge, squeeze in a lime if I have it , or maybe hit it with some Trader Joe’s chili lime seasoning . THATS IT! Quick and simple! I HATE TO BE HOT!
I love the recipe and I appreciate it. I am always looking for different ways to improve or give a different twist to my own recipe. It is fairly similar to mine with only a few additions. Great job!