Quick Summary: A Michelada combines light beer with Clamato juice, lime, Worcestershire sauce, Maggi seasoning, and hot sauce. Rim the glass with Tajín for a spicy-salty kick. Refreshing, not too strong, and perfect for game day or summer afternoons. Prep: 5 min | Serves: 2 cocktails
Jump to: RECIPE | What Is A Michelada? | Ingredients & Substitutions | Step by Step Method | FAQ
A Michelada is a Mexican beer cocktail that sounds a bit strange until you taste it. It is beer mixed with lime juice, tomato juice, hot sauce, and Worcestershire. It’s tangy, salty, and refreshing, especially on hot days or during long football games.
This version uses Clamato juice instead of plain tomato juice for deeper flavor. The recipe is simple: rim a glass with a chile-lime powder (Tajín), add ice and sauces, pour in beer and Clamato, stir, and drink.
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What is a Michelada?
The name ‘Michelada’ usually refers to a Mexican beer cocktail recipe that combines any light beer with lime juice, tomato juice and hot sauce. It also contains a good dash of umami flavor in the form of additions like Worcestershire sauce, Maggi seasoning and/or soy sauce.
If you’ve never had a Michelada before, the idea of adding tomato to your beer sounds strange, but it works. Despite the unusual ingredients, this drink is quite refreshing and balanced.
Its combination of refreshing beer and tangy lime make it refreshing, while the sauces replenish those much-needed salts you lose while sweating through a hot summer’s day. Additionally, because a Michelada is basically diluted beer, it won’t get you too tipsy!
In this Michelada, rather than using regular old tomato juice, let’s upgrade things a little. If you haven’t heard of it yet, I’m pleased to introduce you to Clamato: a Mexican tomato juice brand that has a few added ingredients (including, yes, clam powder), which give it a deeper flavor.
Brunch, anyone?! I’ll have mine with some mini chow chow sliders.
Did You Know? Throughout the years, many different types of Micheladas have popped up. There are simpler versions that omit the tomato juice, for example, and also fancier recipes that contain mango, tamarind, pineapple or other additions. You can even make a virgin Michelada!
Clamato Michelada Ingredients & Substitutions
Beer
The essential ingredient in a Michelada is, of course, beer. Luckily, you don’t need any specific type: any lager should work. I particularly like relatively light beers and tequila-infused brands.
A few beer brands you can try for your Micheladas include, but are certainly not limited to:
- Modelo
- Corona
- Sol
- Tecate
For a twist on the standard beer michelada, try a virgin spicy Michelada (non-alcoholic)
Clamato Juice
As mentioned, Clamato juice is a great choice for a Michelada. Depending on where you’re located, you may be able to find it in your local supermarket. If not, head over to your local Mexican store and you’ll be sure to find it there!
In cases where you can’t find the Clamato or just don’t like it, it’s fine to sub it with normal tomato juice.
Lime Juice
The acidity of fresh lime juice helps to even out all of the salty ingredients in a Michelada, keeping it tangy and refreshing. You can probably also use bottled juice, but you may need a little more of it to get the same effect. I definitely prefer using fresh limes!
If you don’t have limes on hand, it’s no disaster to use lemons instead. Some Chilean Michelada recipes actually exclusively use lemon!
Worcestershire Sauce
If you like to cook, there’s a good chance you’ve already got a bottle of Worcestershire sauce sitting in your fridge. Its mix of saltiness, acidity and sweetness works well in a variety of dishes! This cocktail is no exception.
Maggi Seasoning
There appears to be a bit of a divide between Michelada lovers who use Maggi seasoning and those who use soy sauce. Both have the same effect: adding saltiness and rich umami.
I personally prefer Maggi, but if you’ve got both on hand, why not try for yourself which one you think suits a Michelada best?
Tabasco
A Michelada without a little spice is just beer with tomato juice! Use a dash of Tabasco or your own favorite hot sauce to give this cocktail a nice kick.
For The Rim
Many Michelada recipes call for a mixture of salt and chili powder to rim the beer glasses, but why not take it up a notch? In this recipe, we’re using Tajín, everyone’s favorite spice blend from Mexico.
Tajín has the salt and the chili powder, but also a touch of dried lime powder for a more complex flavor.
Garnish
As with a Bloody Mary, decorating your Micheladas is an activity limited only by your own creativity. I went for humble lime and cucumber slices here, but you can go as crazy as you want!
Michelada de camarón (Michelada with shrimp) is one very popular option. Or maybe go wild with celery sticks, olive skewers, pickles or even spicy gummy candies? Be sure to let me know in the comments what garnish combination you went for.
Step by Step for a Clamato Michelada
Putting a Clamato Michelada together is stupid simple. Gathering the ingredients is more work than making the cocktails!
Here are the steps:
- You start out by rimming the glass, which you do by placing a teaspoon of the Tajín powder in a shallow dish. Then, you wet the glass rim with some lime and dip to coat.
- Once the glass has a nice spice rim, toss in some ice, as well as all the sauces.
- On top of that, pour half a beer and an equal amount of Clamato juice (unless you prefer different ratios – there are as many ways to make a Michelada as there are cocktails to try!).
- Once you’ve added all the ingredients, you can opt to stir the drink, which most folks do. Some don’t stir, but this means that the sauces stay at the bottom and the last few sips can be quite salty.
FAQ
Tangy, salty, and slightly spicy—like a savory, refreshing beer cocktail. The lime and tomato cut the beer’s bitterness.
Yes. Regular tomato juice or V8 works. Clamato adds depth from the clam extract, but it’s not essential.
Light Mexican lagers like Corona, Modelo, Sol, or Tecate. Any light lager works—avoid heavy or hoppy beers.
Similar concept (tomato, spice, alcohol), but a Michelada uses beer instead of vodka and has a lighter, more refreshing profile.
Yes. Use non-alcoholic beer or skip the beer entirely and add extra Clamato with sparkling water.
For the full range of Mexican recipes (slow carb, street food, drinks and celebrations), check out our Mexican Recipe Category.
Clamato Michelada
Equipment
- 2 pint glasses
- 1 cocktail stirrer
Ingredients
For the rim
- 1 tsp Tajín seasoning
- 2 lime wedges optional
- 2 cucumber slices optional
For the clamato Michelada
- 1 12 oz beer Corona, Sol or any lager
- 12 oz Clamato juice
- 2 tbsp lime juice freshly squeezed is best
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp Maggi seasoning
- 2 tsp Tabasco
- ice
Instructions
- Begin by rimming the glasses: place the Tajín seasoning on a shallow dish. Wet the rim of the glass all around using a lime slice. Dip in the seasoning and it will stick.1 tsp Tajín seasoning, 2 lime wedges, 2 cucumber slices
- Fill the glasses with ice.ice
- Pour half of the following in each glass: lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, Maggi, Tabasco.2 tbsp lime juice, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp Maggi seasoning, 2 tsp Tabasco
- Pour half of the beer and Clamato juice in each glass.1 12 oz beer, 12 oz Clamato juice
- Give everything a stir. Garnish with lime wedges and enjoy!
Notes
- Clamato juice = tomato juice
- Maggi seasoning = soy sauce
- Tabasco = hot sauce of your desired spice level
- Tajín seasoning = equal parts salt and cayenne powder
You should try it with half beer and half Mezcarindo from Las Mezcas, D e l i c i o u s!
Thanks Enrico! I will definitely give it a try.
We’ve started adding an ounce of Vodka, to kick it up a notch.
Perfect. This is the way my husband drinks it also!