Forget the Michelada, Make These Beer Cocktails Instead

This story was originally published in Spanish on MUNCHIES MX.

A proper cocktail is the ideal welcome at any party, ending of a nice meal, or excuse for breaking the ice during that first Tinder date; but it's also a great vehicle for experimenting with new flavors and combinations of ingredients that may seem incompatible at the beginning. For example: beer with milk and cinnamon or Mezcal with bacon.

While Mexican bartenders have created many riffs on micheladas, I was curious about what other kinds of beer cocktails are worth a place on a bar menu, so I talked to one of the best bartenders in Mexico City, Axel Pimentel, bartender at Fifty Mils at the Four Seasons Mexico. Below is what he said.

I prefer smoother beers, such as lagers, pale ales, or wheat beers, because they leave a fresh sensation in your mouth. Heavier beers makes me feel tired sometimes. So the first advice I give to people who want to prepare beer cocktails is that they have to consider the kind of beer they want to use. For me, cocktail making is like cooking: you have to use logic. You will not mix tuna with ice cream because, even though they both are tasty, together they make a bad combination.

Creating a good cocktail is difficult. The success of a good preparation lies in the balance between the ingredients—to be able to perceive them all without losing any of them. It is always important to complete the range of flavors of your main ingredient, so you'll have good results. For example, if you use a dark beer, it would be convenient to use coffee or chocolate.

I like this drink because it emulates the shape and color of a beer. It has bourbon, lemon, cinnamon, bitters, and Tempus Doble Malta (an Altibier). It's light, refreshing, and easy to drink.

This is a tribute to Bloody Mary, but with a twist that no Bloody has in the world: bacon-infused mezcal. It also has roasted tomato juice and celery bitters to make taste extra fresh.

Enjoy!