No. 4Pickle Beers & Beer Cocktails
Pickle Michelada
Lime, hot sauce and brine over ice. A michelada with a dill twist.
A Pickle Michelada is a Mexican lager over ice with fresh lime juice, dill pickle brine, Mexican hot sauce, Worcestershire and Maggi, served in a chili-lime rimmed mug. The brine stands in for some of the salt and adds a garlicky tang. It is savory, tart and gently spicy, with no tomato juice.
21+Updated
- Glass
- beer mug
- Method
- Built in the glass
- Time
- 4 min
- Makes
- 1 drink
Ingredients
Amounts for 1, in ounces.
- 12 oz Mexican lager (ice cold)
- 1 oz fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
- 1 oz dill pickle brine (chilled)
- 4 dashes Mexican hot sauce (such as Valentina)
- 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 2 dashes Maggi seasoning (or soy sauce)
- 1 tbsp chili-lime seasoning (such as Tajín, for the rim)
- 1 lime wedge (for the rim)
- 1 slice lime (a wheel, for garnish)
- 1 dill pickle spear (for garnish)
- Glass
- beer mug
- Rim
- chili-lime
- Garnish
- lime wheel and pickle spear
How to make it
- Wet the rim of a beer mug with the lime wedge.
- Dip the rim in chili-lime seasoning.
- Fill the mug with ice.
- Add the lime juice, pickle brine, hot sauce, Worcestershire and Maggi.
- Pour in about half the lager and stir once, gently.
- Garnish with a lime wheel and a pickle spear.
- Top up with the rest of the lager as you drink.
Bar tips
- Mix the lime and sauces before the beer goes in so you never have to stir out the bubbles.
- Stick with a light Mexican lager; dark or hoppy beers fight the lime and brine.
Make it your own
- For a red michelada, add 2 oz of clam-tomato juice or tomato juice with the sauces.
Bar lore
Chela is Mexican slang for beer, and one popular explanation of the name is "mi chela helada," my ice-cold beer. Another story credits Michel Ésper, who said he started ordering his beer with lime, salt and ice at the Club Deportivo Potosino in San Luis Potosí.
Drink responsibly. This one is for adults of legal drinking age. Want it without the booze? The zero-proof drinks are just as briny.
Full recipe: dillin.org/recipes/pickle-michelada
