This refreshing Michelada recipe is made with tomato juice, beer, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and hot sauce. It’s the perfect cocktail for brunch, or anytime you need to cool down with something with a little extra flavor!
Say hello to the best Mexican beer cocktail – the Michelada! It’s light, refreshing, and made with a dash of hot sauce. My kind of drink.
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 popular Mexican beer cocktail made from tomato juice, beer, spices, and hot sauce.
It’s a refreshing drink that’s often compared to the Bloody Mary cocktail because they’re both served at brunch, they’re touted as hangover cures, and they both have that tomato-y quality.
The Michelada, however, is mixed with Mexican beer instead of vodka.
Michelada Ingredients
- Tomato juice (or Clamato juice)
- Lime juice
- Worcestershire sauce
- Soy sauce
- Hot sauce (like Tabasco, Tapatio, or Cholula)
- Mexican lager beer
- Tajin seasoning (or chili powder if you don’t have any)
- Salt
Tomato Juice or Clamato juice?
Many Michelada recipes call for tomato juice or Clamato juice, and some recipes don’t use any and opt for only hot sauce and other seasonings.
My personal preference is to use a spicy tomato juice or even a spicy bloody mary mix because it adds even more spice to the drink, and it doesn’t water down the flavor like Clamato juice.
That being said, the drink is traditionally made with Clamato juice which is a tomato juice cocktail made from tomato juice, spices, and clam juice.
What you decide to use is really up to you and what you prefer!
How to make a Michelada
- Salt the rim: Run a lime wedge around the rim of a beer glass and dip it in salt and Tajin. Fill the glass halfway with ice cubes.
- Add seasonings: Add tomato or Clamato juice, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and hot sauce.
- Add beer: Top with your favorite Mexican beer. Stir, taste, and adjust seasonings if needed.
What is the Best Beer for Micheladas?
Light and refreshing Mexican lagers like Corona Extra, Sol, Tecate, Pacifico, and Modelo Especial are the best beers to use when making Micheladas.
What is the Best Hot Sauce for Micheladas?
Some good options are Tabasco, Tapatio, Cholula, or Louisiana-style hot sauce. It comes down to personal preference!
What’s the Difference Between a Chelada and a Michelada?
A Michelada is a beer cocktail often mixed with tomato juice, hot sauce, lime juice, and other seasonings like Worcestershire sauce.
A chelada is a much simpler Mexican drink made from only beer, lime juice, and salt.
More Mexican Cocktails
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt (or any flaky sea salt)
- ¾ teaspoon Tajin seasoning (or chili powder)
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- ice cubes
- ⅔ cup tomato juice (or Clamato juice)
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 4 drops worcestershire sauce
- 4 drops soy sauce
- 4 drops hot sauce
- 12 ounces Mexican lager beer
Instructions
- Mix together the salt and Tajin seasoning on a shallow plate. Run a lime wedge along the rim of two pint glasses, then dip the glasses into the salt mixture to coat the rim.
- Fill both glasses half full with ice cubes.
- Divide the tomato 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 serve.
Video
Isabel’s Tips:
- Make sure to taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking! I prefer my Michelada extra spicy, so I always add a lot of hot sauce.
- Plain tomato juice or any flavored variety will work. The Spicy Hot V8 tomato juice is my personal favorite for micheladas. You can also use Clamato juice. You can even use a spicy bloody mary mix!
Nutrition Information
I was never really a beer drinker, but I learned to enjoy Micheladas when I lived in Los Angeles. So, imagine my surprise, on this incredibly hot and humid day in Hong Kong, when I searched for a recipe and stumbled across yours! I had all the ingredients to hand, although I used Asahi ‘Super Dry’ beer, and my partner and I enjoyed our refreshing drinks immensely. Thank you so much!
I/ve always made mine with Clamato juice, lime juice and either Modelo or Sol. Adding just the 4 drops each of Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce adds more depth to the michelada without overpowering it. Good suggestion.
Thanks for sharing, Phillip!
Isabel, this is a fantastic recipe. I never thought about using soy sauce before but it does deepen the flavor. Instead of ice I rinse my mug with water and put it in the freezer that way the Michelada is not watered down. If your not doing anything on a Sunday you need to listen to 92.3 “The Fox” out of El Paso Texas. Its a mix of golden oldies and Tejano music, it goes perfectly with a Michelada on a nice Sunday afternoon
Hi Dan! That’s a great tip, thanks for sharing. We’re glad you enjoyed this recipe!
A true Michelada! Thank you for this delicious, mouth – watering post!
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?
Hi RGB- I believe a pitcher would be equivalent to approximately 5 -12oz drinks (60 oz) and I would adjuster the serving slider on the recipe from 2 (default) to 5 and see if that works for a pitcher. Don’t add ice to the pitcher – only the glass when serving to keep it from being watered down. Good luck!
This is a fantastic drink and I wish I would have found this earlier in life. I love the fizz the beer gives the drink and could easily spend a hot afternoon drinking myself silly. Thanks for the terrific recipe!
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!