Drink: Are micheladas the new margaritas? These “bloody mary beers” are suddenly everywhere.
... ARE THEY THE NEW MARGARITAS?
To know micheladas, says Fernando Lopez, is to love them.
Micheladas are a beer cocktail from Mexico that are sometimes called bloody mary beers. But they are so much more than that, according to enthusiasts like Los Angeles resident Lopez.
“When people try a real michelada, that’s when they fall in love with it,” he says.
Lopez makes and markets his own michelada mixes, and he believes that micheladas can go mainstream the way margaritas did a few decades ago. He’s not alone.
Micheladas are not just in taquerias anymore. You can order them at Los Angeles Dodgers games and Disney California Adventure, as well as at restaurants and taquerias. But some bars haven’t caught up with the trend, creating opportunities for small bottlers like Lopez.
“There are actually a lot of good michelada mixes for restaurants that don’t have them,” says celebrity mixologist Phil Wills, who has been on the TV series “Bar Rescue.”
What makes a michelada?
A michelada looks like a bloody mary at first glance, but its ingredients differ.
Bloody marys pair a vodka base with a mix that usually includes tomato juice or vegetable juice cocktail, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish and hot sauce.
The essence of a michelada is a light beer, often a Mexican lager, usually served over ice with lime juice and salt on the rim of the glass. “You’ve got to be able to have the lime and the salt on the top,” Wills says.
Many micheladas include tomato juice or Clamato, the tomato-clam combo, and use chile powder on the rim.
Lopez’s I Love Micheladas company bottles two mixes, a spicy OG Brown and a citrusy Red, in 32-ounce bottles and 4-ounce packs for single servings. Last month, he started a Youtube series called “The I Love Micheladas Show,” featuring interviews with members of the Los Angeles food community, as they make micheladas with IPAS and other craft brews.
Many hobbyists turn into small-batch bottlers. “Hundreds and hundreds are popping up all the time,” says Steve Flores, a festival organizer who runs Michelada Rumbles in Fresno, Huntington Beach and Phoenix. Each Rumble features several michelada vendors and gives enthusiasts a chance to show off their own michelada mixes.
Pushing the boundaries
As the popularity of micheladas grows, so does the variety. Some concoctions include mango puree and chamoy sauce or powder. And Tajin, a chile-lime seasoning salt, or a mixture of Tajin and chamoy, are popular substitutes for salt on the rim of the glass.
Cesar Alonzo, a vendor at Saturday’s Rumble in Huntington Beach, didn’t have his first michelada until he visited Mexico in 2016. Now he bottles his own Megachelada Mix. He likes a traditional michelada, but says part of the fun of the Rumbles are the elaborate cocktails on display, some heaped with garnishes.
“Some are in coconuts and some are in cups with seafood on top, ceviche,” he says. “It’s nice and refreshing, even on hot days.”