Micheladas and other Beer Cocktails

A few years ago, we’d gone on vacation to Barbados, and we met these Coast Guard boys whose ship had docked nearby for a few days. I remember playing in the pool under a full moon and cracking up as they tried to teach me how to order beer in two dozen different languages.

For a Latina, I can pronounce bier in German like a muttertochter. Since our vacation, microbrewering has gone from cottage industry to an international movement. The jet setters among you can benefit from learning some foreign words and phrases (commit to memory or bookmark).

And yes, cooking with beer is a thing, but also cocktail bars are now known to create inventive beverages with beer. Gone are the days of the simple beer chaser!

A beer cocktail is exactly what it sounds like: a cocktail made by mixing beer with a distilled beverage or another kind of beer. Sometimes fruit and herbs are added.

Beer purists would hate the very idea! They’d scream that beer and cocktails are two separate things, akin to Church and State – and never shall the two mix!

These guys would approve. 

Then there’s the michelada, a game-changer if there ever was one. It literally means a cold one. A chela is a beer. A chelada is a cold beer. Let go of michelada!

To put it simply, it is Mexican cerveza preparada (prepared beer). The beer is served in combination with lime juice, peppers, sauces, and spices.

There are many versions, although regionally you may find some standard ingredients; there is no such thing as "traditional" cocktail, you can get as creative as you wish. There is a michelada with tomato and lemon juice, much like a bloody Mary; and another that, like a margarita, is served in a glass with a salted rim. Micheladas may have Worcestershire, teriyaki or soy sauce, mole, a dash of hot sauce, a combination of peppers and even tropical fruits.

What I truly love about it is that micheladas and beer cocktails lend themselves to tweaking. Using beer as the foundation gives you endless options these days, that you can work it around specific dishes from appetizers to desserts, to specific cuisines!

Check out the micheladas and beer cocktails Pinterest board, replete with recipes and ideas.

https://www.pinterest.com/amapolapress/food-goddess-micheladas/

Beer cocktails give you versatility, an opportunity to be creative, and expand your palate. What better reason to go beyond the commercial and supermarket brands! There is something refreshing and accessible about the idea of beer cocktails.