Cooking Lesson #886: Watermelon-Mango Michelagua

…from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour Bar

How you doin’? As we spring into summer, there’s really no shortage of fantastic cocktails—but our current favorite is the festive Michelagua. My recipe is made with cold-pressed watermelon juice, a light lager and spices. I love the intense, melon-y flavor and bright color it gives the drink. It’s also practically overflowing with big chunks of juicy mango, so you get some tangy-sweet notes in every slurp.
 
The best way to think of it is as a pimped-up version of the Cheleda (a Mexican beer-based cocktail), with a handful of extra ingredients and a much bolder flavor punch. Like the Cheleda, beer forms the base, but unlike the Cheleda, you get a lot more than salt and lime with it. The recipe varies by region, but as a basic rule you can expect beer, lime, salt, spices, salsas, and tomato juice, all served in a lime and salt and/or chili powder rimmed glass. In some places, you may also get a few chiles for extra bite.
 
In many ways, a Michelada (see ChefSecret) is like a Bloody Mary that's lost its vodka and gained some beer. It's also fully customizable, so don't be surprised if you order a Michelada and find yourself with something that looks more like a meal than a drink, with steamed shrimp, smoky bacon and even pickles all jutting out of the top. You might also find some with additional seasonings such as hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, black pepper, serrano peppers, Chamoy powder, Maggi sauce and soy sauce… it's entirely up to you. The following recipe can be used as a guide but feel free to adapt the spices to suit your own taste.
 
But the kicker in my cocktail—the thing that makes it so very special—is that I dip the rim of the glass in Tajín fruity Chamoy hot sauce and Tajín seasoning. The Chamoy is full of lime and apricots, the Tajín has some mild heat and together they give this drink a bright, refreshing lilt with a bit of a punch.
 
Yes, Watermelon-Mango Michelagua is, by definition, a drink. But because of all the mango floating around in there, you could just as easily call it a snack. (It’s begging for one of those combination spoon-straws.) And you better believe you’ll be sipping it poolside this summer!
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Yield:  1 cocktail

Ingredients 
1/4 cup Tajín Fruity Chamoy Hot Sauce, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup Tajín Clásico Seasoning, plus more for garnish
3/4 cup diced mango, divided
Crushed ice
1/4 cup fresh, cold-pressed watermelon juice (I like Evolution)
1 12-ounce bottle light beer
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice, plus more to taste
 
Directions

1. Spread the chamoy sauce in a small, shallow plate. Spread the Tajín seasoning in a second small, shallow plate.
2. Dip the rim of a pint glass in the chamoy and then in the Tajín to coat.
3. In the pint glass, alternate half diced mango and half crushed ice, until the glass is halfway full.
4. Add the watermelon juice, simple syrup and lime juice to the glass and stir to combine. Stir in more lime juice, to taste, if desired.
5. Top the Michelagua with more crushed ice, beer and the remaining diced mango.
6. Garnish with Chamoy and Tajín.
7. Enjoy immediately.

ChefSecret:  The story of how Michelada got its name involves a man called Michel Esper who was a frequent guest at the Club Deportivo Potosino in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, in the 1960s. Esper's drink of choice was a beer served with lime, salt, ice and a straw, poured into a "chabela" big cup and served like a lemonade. Other customers soon started asking for a glass of "Michel's lemonade" or "Michelada" as it soon became known).

Quip of the Day:  Spilling a beer is the adult equivalent of a kid dropping an ice cream on the ground.
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