CHICAGO — There is a holiday for everything, so for fans of micheladas — a popular drink in Mexico as well as at several Chicago restaurants — Tuesday is your day.
Happy "National Michelada Day."
The Michelada is a beer-based cocktail made with tomato, lime and spices, served over ice and with a salted rim.
It is a good alternative for those who think a Bloody Mary tastes too tomato-ee and is too thick, because there is just a hint of tomato and the main taste is spicy, with a bit of a seltzer-like kick.
If you are enterprising — with a little help from Lifehacker.com — you can concoct a michelada at home, provided you've got a can of Tecate or Modelo in your fridge, hot sauce and lime and salt.
Though Modelo Especial and Tecate are popular beers for making a michelada, some like Indio for a darker maltier base, according to Big Star’s Beverage Director Laurent Lebec.
Big Star’s $5 Michelada is one of the top three most frequently ordered drinks on the menu at the restaurant at 1531 N. Damen Ave., the restaurant's general manager Marc Hellner said.
Here is the recipe for Big Star’s Michelada, courtesy of Lebec.
Rim a 12-ounce beer glass with lime juice and lightly encircle the top with salt (drop in a bit of Tajin spice mix too if you want).
Drop in a half-ounce of fresh squeezed lime juice and 1 ounce of house mix (*)
Add three ice cubes, cracked if you can with a muddler.
Top with Tecate or your favorite Mexican lager.
(*) The true mix stays a house recipe, but we can divulge that Tamazula and Valentina hot sauce feature in it prominently.
At Parson's Chicken & Fish, 2952 W. Armitage Ave., the $6 michelada is popular, too.
Parson's recipe for michelada by Charlie Schott:
- 12-ounce Modelo Especial
- ¼ ounce Fresh Lime Juice
- ¼ ounce Maggi® Jugo seasoning sauce
- ¼ ounce Worcestershire Sauce
- ¼ ounce Valentina Salsa Picante®
- Salt
- Pepper
- Lime
Garnish a 12-ounce glass with salt and pepper mixture. Combine ice, Maggi Jugo, Worcestershire Sauce, Valentina Salsa Picante and lime juice in the glass. Top with Modelo Especial and serve the remainder of the beer alongside the Michelada, Schott advises.
Looking to have a michelada made for you today?
Mercadito, an upscale Latin restaurant at 108 W. Kinzie St. serves them for $8.50 and the drinks are "damn good," one Yelp.com reviewer says.
Latinicity, the big Latin food hall in Block 37 at 108 N. State St., sells $8 Micheladas with Modelo Especial, housemade sangrita and lime.
For more at-home recipes, including "The Michelada" and "The Dirty Saylor," fans can visit modelespecialusa.com and negramodelousa.com.
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