The Michelada is to real life along the border what the Bloody Mary is to a weekend bachelorette occupation of Austin. And though the savory drinks may have certain elements in common, the respective spirits animating the two could not be more different.
The Bloody Mary, with its royal lineage, represents privilege and errant excess. The Michelada, on the other hand: diligence, perseverance and equality. If the Lone Star is the symbol of such uniquely Texan values as individualism and self-determination, then Michelada is the movement's beverage of record.
In the following video by Munchies, Ty Mitchell, proprietor of The Lost Horse Saloon in Marfa, Texas, walks viewers through the mechanics of constructing the delicious beer cocktail.
The spicy tonic is easy to make using ingredients that most folks already have on hand in the kitchen. Watch the short clip and let Ty show you how to make your own version of the iconic tonic. But whatever you do, don't refer to Ty Mitchell as a mixologist!
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Michelada (roughly: "my cold beer"), is a border country staple. The michelada recipe is pretty simple, consisting of a Mexican lager-beer-and-tomato-juice-base supplemented by a catalog of additions and condiments including soy sauce, fresh lime juice, salt, pepper and hot sauce. (You may never, under any circumstances, insert a celery stick.) Add a lime wedge, chili powder and sea salt mixture for your rim, and maybe even a splash of worcestershire sauce or clam juice. Throw some ice cubes in your beer glass and you have a delicious Mexican Michelada. (I highly recommend Modelo for your beer).
The possible combinations are as numerous as the tastes of the sturdy partisans of the Michelada, but the function of this revered beverage is consistent. Where the upper-crust Bloody Mary is used by the dock-shoe-and-Restoration Hardware clique as a means to offset the effects of suburban overindulgence, the Michelada fortifies the wranglers who make their bones riding shotgun to the scorching south Texas sun.
The michelada ingredients are simple and the cocktail recipe has a super fast prep time. It's also a solid hangover cure.
This article was originally published in 2015.
