 |
| A michelada. Photo: Winemeup, Flickr. |
I love cocktails. I love my wine. However, sometimes nothing hits the spot like a cold beer when the sun's blistering down. If you are still in the mood for a cocktail but craving that beer, try a michelada.
As with many mixed drinks, you may get a different flavor depending on your location and bartender. A michelada may have some sort of tomato juice or it may not. Like a martini, always specify how you like your drink.
In Baja if you ask for a michelada, you'll typically get a cocktail with beer, salt, and fresh Key lime juice. On the mainland you can order a Clamato (which has clam broth) or some type of tomato juice spiked with various sauces. It's similar to a Bloody Mary, with beer instead of vodka. (Even if the cocktail does not contain the brand-name Clamato mix, the drink is still often referred to as "a Clamato.") I prefer a Clamato as a brunch drink rather than an afternoon refresher.
Two recipes for a michelada and a michelada Clamato, after the jump!
Beer cocktails are especially refreshing during warm weather months. They boast a lower alcohol content than mixed drinks with hard alcohol, and with so many great 
True story: In college, I invented a drink called "The Specialty Drink." The recipe: Shot of rum, shot of vodka, pineapple juice, cranberry juice, splash of orange juice all poured in a pint glass, then fill up whatever space was left with beer. As you might have guessed, I sent many an unsuspecting friend towards the nearest trash can.
Up until a Memorial Day picnic a year ago, I had never encountered the concept of a beer cocktail. It had never even occurred to me that one would want to mix beer with something else. That was, until I walked up to a friend at the picnic and she said, "Hey, do you want a Lemonade Shandy?" 
10 More Dirty Restaurant Tricks
5 Things You Didn't Know About Turducken
10 Catchiest Food Jingles We Love to Hate
