Week 38 in The year of Drinking Adventurously. Chavelas and Micheladas.

I love beer, I love Bloody Marys, so this week’s adventure makes me happy. At first this may seem like a weird combination but it’s really no weirder than some of the other things people do to beer. Hello, pumpkin anyone?

Both of these cocktails hail from Mexico and are slotted into this week because of Mexican Independence Day on September 16th. The chavela is a more involved version of this cocktail: served in a large bowl-like glass rimmed with salt and picante spices, filled two-thirds of the way with a tomato based liquid. This could be tomato juice, V8 or Clamato on the rocks, mixed with hot sauce and garnished with shrimp. The bottle of beer comes on the side, ready to be emptied in after resting for a bit.  Not being a fan of shrimp, this was out for me.

The michelada, on the other hand, is basically a Bloody Mary – just swap out the vodka for beer. To make things interesting, I went all “foodie” for this one, making my own tomato juice in the handy, dandy Vitamix blender. I added Worcestershire sauce, Cholula hot sauce, lime juice, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. The volume was about half of what would eventually comprise the cocktail. The beer half is my own home-brewed lager on tap in the kegerator. So good!

As cocktail culture has become a ‘thing’ all sorts of new concoctions are gaining popularity. Still waiting to see this on a cocktail menu in my neighborhood, though. Until then, I will continue to make it at home. So if you like a Bloody Mary, I encourage you to give this one a go. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Make sure to see if Lula liked her cervezas y mas, this week!

And one more thing, since we’re talking about Mexico and its recent commemoration of independence… My friend Roger Moore, professor and poet, traveler and story teller, has spent time in the Mexican State of Oaxaca getting to know the people and their history. One of my favorite poems- Inquisitor – is part of The Sun and Moon collection, now available on Amazon. Please do pay a Roger a visit and enjoy his wonderful poetry!