How To Make a Michelada | Michelada Recipe

Many of you know that I lived for a year in Mexico.  There are a million things I love about this country, but the most thirst quenching thing on that list is a delicious beer drink called a Michelada.  My pal Oscar taught me the real deal recipe, and now we’re teaching you.

There are many michelada recipes on the web teaching people how to make micheladas. And I’m here to tell you that all of these recipes are WRONG. So I’m going to teach you the right way to make a genuine Mexican Michelada.  (Mi amigo Oscar, un Mexicano verdad, me lo enseno.)

For those of you who don’t like videos, or simply found it confusing, read the michelada recipe here:

How to Make Michelada:

Michelada Ingredients:

Lots of Limes

Salsa Inglesa
Jugo Maggi
Pacifico or Corona (Doesn’t matter which one)
Tajin (A mixture of salt, lime flavoring and chile powder)
Clamato (optional)
Hot Sauce.   (Also optional.)   Use Valentino brand…not the American Tobasco.  They taste different.   I like a couple of drops.  My pal Oscar doesn’t like any.)
Beer.   Oscar thinks you should use Pacifico or Corona.  But we’ve made them with a darker Negro Modelo and they are pretty tasty with that too.

Note: Where in the heck do you buy Tajin, Salsa Inglesa and Jugo Maggi? Well, as I write this I’m living in Mexico and they are as easy to find as catsup.  But my guess is that no matter where you live, you’re not that far away from a Mexican grocery store or tienda.   Go track one down and buy this stuff.  You’ll be glad you did.  Seriusly, I cannot imagine a michelada without the tajin.  The lime juice and the Jugo Maggi and the Salsa Inglesa are pretty important.   But the Tajin — or some substitute brand — is crucial.

Tajin is simply the most common brand of the dried chili, dehydrated lime and salt mixture.  There are many other brands;  I’ve tried 3 or 4..they are all good.

Michelada Recipe.

First, cut a lime and rub it around the rim of your glass.  Then pour a bunch of Tajin (the chili / salt / dehydrated lime mixture) on a small plate.  Invert your glass and rub the wet rim in the tajin, making it stick.  (This is like salting a margarita glass, only substituting Tajin.)

Add the juice of 2 or three small limes, or perhaps 1 larger lime.  Add more juice than you think.  Now add some more.

Add a couple of shakes of Jugo Maggi.  And a couple of Shakes of Salsa Inglesia.

This is a “to taste” sort of thing.  I like to add extra Maggi.  But it’s up to you.

If you like, add some Clamato.  Just about 1/3 of a cup.  But again it’s a to taste thing.  If you like more, go for it.  Less?  Fine!  Not at all…. sure, no problem.

(I’ve seen the difference of “chelada” and “michelada” described as with or without the Clamato.  My my pal Oscar, who was born in and lived in Mexico City for 20+ years thinks they are both micheladas.  So who am I to doubt him?)

Add ice.  A bunch of ice.

Fill your glass up with beer.

Add a couple of pinches of Tajin.

Stir it up.  Drink it up.

Repeat as needed.

Finally:  Don’t be an idiot.  Don’t drink and drive.  Don’t over do it. And don’t….please don’t…. fail to get the right ingredients.  You need the Jugo Maggi, the Salsa Inglesa, and especially the Tajin!  It’s worth the trip.  It will make your michelada genuine.  And most important, it’ll make it tasty!

Cheers!  Salud!

See the how to make a michelada recipe video on YouTube
Read a post about how to make a michelada on my other blog.

Leave comments with questions or results.

Brad Montgomery
Motivational Speaker, Friend of Oscar Montes de Oca, Lover of Micheladas