Red Oak Michelada
Beer, lime, chile, and salt over ice. The savory, spicy cooler made for charred, smoky beef off the red oak.
A michelada is the savory, spicy, beer-based cooler that was practically invented for charred beef. Lime, chile, salt, and a splash of umami over a cold lager: it is bracing, a little messy, and exactly what you want with smoke and char.
Build it on a Central Coast lager to keep the story local, and lean into the chile rim. Of all the pours on the table, this is the one that leans hardest into the fire, which is why it is named for the red oak the tri tip cooks over.
Ingredients
- 1 cold Mexican-style lager (a Central Coast lager works too)
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- 2 dashes hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 dash soy sauce or Maggi, optional
- Tajin or chile-salt, for the rim
- Ice and a lime wedge
Instructions
- 1
Rim a tall glass with chile-salt or Tajin and fill it with ice.
The chile rim is half the drink. Do not skip it.
- 2
Add the lime juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire, and optional Maggi, then pour in the cold beer.
Pour the beer slowly down the side so it does not foam over the seasonings.
- 3
Stir gently and top up with more beer as you drink.
Build it on a clean lager. You want the seasonings and lime to lead, not a hoppy IPA.