It's Summertime!

And the livin' is easy. Yes folks it's officially summer here. It's hot, hot, hot & dry, dry, dry and I LOVE IT! The rain will soon come (and that I will be thankful for too), but I'm a summer loving girl - the hotter the better. But you know how it goes when it's hot outside - you always need a cool drink in hand! So as I wait for the husband to make room for the Semana Santa photos on our oldie but still a goodie iBook, I'm going to share with you one of our favorite Latin summertime beverages....the Michelada!


Recently we discovered a short cut in making this thirst quenching drink.....Miche Mix! Now, it's not exactly the same as the from scratch version, so you may want to throw in a bit of vegetable juice or clamato, but it is an easy way to have a michelada on the go....like say at the beach!


If you can't seem to find Miche Mix in your neck of the woods but you've still got a hankering for a spicy cold one, try this recipe (complements of Suite 101). I can't make any promises as we haven't used this exact recipe ourselves, but it looks pretty complete!


Michelada Ingredients
1 ice cold Mexican beer
2 tbsp. course salt
1 tbsp. chili powder (or a dash or tabasco) 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
1-2 dashes of your favorite hot sauce
1 dash of soy sauce
1 dash of Worcestershire sauce
Ice
Black pepper
Lime wedge for garnish

Assembly
1. Mix together the salt and chili powder on a small plate. Rim a beer glass with a little lime juice and then dip in the salt and chili mixture to cover the top of the glass.

2. Fill mug with ice (yes, ice in a beer is popular in Mexico and other parts of Latin America).

3. Add lime juice, hot sauce, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and a pinch of black pepper.

4. Slowly pour in beer. The salt on the rim will cause the beer to foam up, so be careful while adding beer.

5. Stir. Enjoy.

If you prefer a spicier beverage, you can add more hot sauce or chili powder. Every family and/or restaurant seems to have their own variation on this beverage, so feel free to alter the proportions to suit your own taste!

Now for those of you who are not the biggest fan of veggie juice flavor a michelada provides, try a simple chelada. Once you do, you'll never go back to simply wedging a lime on your glass of beer!

Chelada Ingredients
1 cold Mexican beer
salt
1 1/2 - 2 oz. fresh lemon or lime juice
ice

Assembly
Ring your glass with salt (like you would for a margarita). Fill with ice. Add lemon/lime juice. Top with beer & enjoy!

Hope these suggestions will help you beat the summer heat!