Micheladas from el Bajío, Mexico's lowlands
Diego Cardenas from Oyamel NYC shares his family recipe
Happy Wednesday! It’s a very, very busy week this week…maybe some of you have picked up a copy of Change the Recipe?
Today, I wanted to share a new recipe for a Michelada from Diego Cardenas, who is running our bar at Oyamel in New York. Diego is originally from the city of León, in the state of Guanajuato in Mexico’s arid lowlands, el Bajío, northwest of the capital.
Growing up, Diego’s family was passionate about micheladas (and Clericot, a fascinating Mexican Sangría with tequila and apple soda…which maybe he’ll share with us sometime if we ask nicely!). Every Sunday, his uncle, tio Jorge, would wake him up early for a walk, then they would eat menudo—tripe with hominy and chilies—and drink micheladas. They would make the “miche mix,” then serve it with lime, ice, and cold beers—Diego likes a darker beer like Negro Modelo, but Pacifico or Tecate work too—and everyone would add the beer to dilute as much as they like.
The people of el Bajío love strong flavors—concentrated and intense, like the hot, dry area itself. So a Bajío-style Michelada is a lot more intense than a coastal one, where they might add clamato, clam juice mixed with tomato juice. Instead, Diego’s is all sauces and intense flavors: Valentina hot sauce (the yellow label, Diego insists), Worcestershire, umami-rich Maggi Jugo (Maggi Jugo is more intense than the normal Maggi Seasoning, though if you can’t find Jugo, Seasoning will do just fine), tajín, and his family’s secret addition, a sprinkle of chicken bouillon.
To amp up the intensity, Diego loves to drink Micheladas with cecina, dried meat, like jerky—though in the coastal areas, people will serve it with shrimp instead. Around Mexico, people will drink micheladas after work, before dinner, with some botanas—Mexican-style tapas, like chips or flautas, or some queso fundido—or at brunch with chilequiles verdes. He also says he’ll recommend one para curarle…a cure for a hangover! Especially with a guacamaya, a sandwich with chicharrón and a super spicy pico de gallo, spicy enough to get you talking like a guacamaya (a parrot)!
So now…here is Diego’s super-intense, super-tasty Michelada. The recipe makes a batch of miche mix for four drinks…so invite some friends over for botanas, or mix up a round after a long night of drinking. Non-alcoholic beer works really well here, too—so if you’re not drinking but still want something delicious, a Michelada is just the thing. Or if you’re in New York, just come in to Oyamel and try Diego’s!
Michelada el Bajío
Makes 4 drinks