The Chelada - A Daring Cocktail Recipe

At first thought, the mixture of lager and tomato or Clamato juice might sound utterly repulsive. It did to me, until I tried it. The Chelada is a refreshing and bold beverage suitable for brunch or barbecue. It is a daring cocktail party selection that is bound to be a hit amongst those who are adventurous enough to try it. It is refreshing enough for the summer but spicy enough for the colder seasons as well.

There are many regional and historical variations of the cerveza preparada Chelada or Michelada. It is a Mexican beverage consisting of a combination of lager, lime juice, salt and tomato or Clamato juice. The addition of a range of spices can sometimes be called a Cubana. The drink exists in Canada as well and goes by the name Red Eye. In both regions this beverage is used as a hangover remedy. To keep things simple I normally generalize and use the easily pronounceable term Chelada.

For those that are unfamiliar with Mott's brand Clamato, it is a mixture of tomato and clam juice. The thought of this combination might again repulse you, as did me until I actually tried it. I don't normally drink it straight but it is a great mixer. The use of Clamato in place of tomato juice in a Bloody Mary is called a Bloody Caesar. There is a long list of drink recipes available on the Clamato website.

The macro breweries, in their ever tightening grip on any niche drink market they can get their grubby hands on, have canned a few versions of this popular South American cocktail. The Miller Brewing Company offers Miller Chill with a "hint of salt and lime" and Anheuser-Busch offers Budweiser Chelada and Bud Light Chelada, consisting of Clamato, lime and spices. Both are marketed to a predominantly Latin American population.

As with any drink recipe I create, it is formulated to please me. Take what you will and modify it for your own personal pleasure. I would, however, strongly recommend that you use a cerveza such as Modelo, Dos Equis or at least Tecate in lieu of an American lager.

Rim your glass with something exotic. Salt will do but a little chili powder or garlic salt could be quite interesting. For mine I am going to use Everglades seasoning. This seasoning was created by Florida resident and Mess Sergeant Bill Gerstman while stationed in Saipan in 1944. This all purpose seasoning is pretty much delicious as a substitute on anything that calls for salt and pepper. Most Chelada recipes call for salt but I omit it. There is enough spice on the rim and enough sodium in commercial tomato and Clamato juices and our daily diets as it is.

In a rimmed pint glass:

3 or 4 ice cubes

A turn of fresh ground pepper

A dash or two of Tabasco

2 Dashes of Worchestershire sauce

Half a lime

2 oz of Clamato or tomato juice

Stir and fill with cerveza

Simple and refreshing

This cocktail went wonderfully with Sunday brunch.

I love brunch. It's a great way to drink early in the day without looking like you have a problem.

Smoked salmon on the top half of an everything bagel with Fage Greek strained yogurt, green onion, fresh homegrown chive, a dash of Everglades seasoning and a lime wedge with homemade pickled asparagus and fresh homegrown cucumber slices soaked in vinegar water.

Always drink and serve responsibly and NEVER drink and drive.