With summer rapidly approaching it’s time to tidy up the backyard and get ready to light the grill for some BBQ and of course cocktails. It seems appropriate that I would just happen to start looking for a Michelada recipe as the days are heating up and getting longer.

Thankfully, a BBQ expert here at work provided me with a long email with outstanding BBQ recipes/ideas, as well as his recipe for a Michelada. Up to now, I liked my beer one way, ice cold. Never before had I contemplated using pouring tomato juice, lime juice or any other ingredient into my beer. Guess I am a beer purist so to speak. I don’t even use lime in my Corona.

I decided to give his recipe a try last week during my days off. I purchased a 6 pack of Pacifico, and a bottle of Picante flavored Clamato. Let me preface by saying growing up I can recall drinking V8 Juice as well as Snappy Tom, when my parents were entertaining. Never in a million years would I consider mixing tomato juice and clam juice. Just sounds terrible and probably didn’t taste much better.

With a bit of hesitation I placed the Clamato juice in my shopping cart and headed for the exit. At home I followed the “Afro-Mexican bartender’s” recipe. I added a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. I took two lime and juiced them. I then added a dash of pepper, all of this over ice. I shook it to combine the ingredients. It was time to add the Pacifico and the Clamato. I poured 12 ounces of beer and 6 ounces of Clamato, stirred and prepared to taste.

Overall it had a pinkish-red appearance, not much of a beer smell, but more of a tomato juice smell. I tried to pour the liquids without creating much of a head, but what foam was created also carried a pink color, but did fade away. It was not time for the taste test.

I took a swig of the Michelada and moved it around my mouth and swallowed. I was pleasantly surprised with the taste, it was neither overpowering or bad tasting. In fact I actually found the flavor and taste refreshing. No wonder it’s a summer type drink. One thing I did not have was something to compare it to. I had never mixed my own Michelada or ordered one in the many Mexican/Tex-Mex restaurants I had eaten at.

I have not been perusing the Internet looking for other recipes, many include similar ingredients, but I have found some unique features to make a Michelada recipe a bit more personal. From my point of view I like spicy foods, so I am considering using more hot sauce. I also found some recipes that use a chili-salt on the rim as opposed to just salt. There is even another idea to use Jugo Maggi, a flavoring sauce I had never even heard of.

So I place on working on my own recipe and to make some more of these. Now who’s barbecuing?