A Michelada is like a Bloody Mary - minus the hard liquor. A beertail, if you will.

And the best part of a Michelada is that you can write the recipe - I'll just lay the base. Allow me to explain - a Michelada is a beer fortifified with tomato juice, lime, chile and flavorings and YOU get to pick the proportions. Want something more spicy? Just add more chili pequin or arbol to the rim.. want something more sour? Add more lime. ETC.

Ingredients:

*For one serving. All ingredients to taste.

• 10 Chili pequin or 3 chili de arbol toasted on a comal until fragrant OR Sal de Muchos Chiles Rimming Salt

• Lime juice to taste

• 2 ounces Tomato juice

• 2 Dashes of Worcestershire

• Salt

• Hot sauce (like Valentina of Cholula) to taste

• 1 12-ounce bottle of Mexican Lager (claro or obscuro is fine)

Method:

1. Place glassware into the freezer for at least ten minutes. 

2. Toast the chili pequin or arbol on a comal until fragrant. Once cooled, chop into a fine powder with a pinch of salt.

3. Squeeze lime juice onto a plate, dip the frozen glass rim into the lime juice and then the chili powder to rim the edge.

4. Remove the glass from the freezer. Add tomato juice, lime, Worcestershire, hot sauce and stir the mixture well. This should equal approx. 1/3 of the volume of the drink. Add ice cubes 3/4 of the way up the glass. 

5. Pour the lager over the ice cubes and stir the drink to blend both layers. You will have beer leftover which is the best part of a Michelada, it changes flavor and consistency as you continue to dilute the tomato mix with the beer.