For all of the Tequila and Margaritas you find in every Mexican restaurant or bar in America, we did not experience a lot of either from the south of Mexico through the Peninsula. Tourist seem to often buy a bottle of tequila and take it back to the hotel or hostel, and Cancun is filled with 2 for 1 drink specials. In all of our time in Mexico, we bought one margarita. It was in Mexico City, blended with ice and filled with some store bought mixer. Overall, a sad experience.

However, in most of the towns and cities we visited, it was the beer and chelada or micheladas that were common. The name comes from the mexican slang for beer, a “chela.” “Helado” means iced or chilled and “mi” would be mine. Hence chelada would be “iced beer” and michelada would be “my iced beer.”

This drink is a sort of beer cocktail, always with ice. The chelada appears to be just lime juice and a salt rimmed glass but the michelada, our favorite on a hot and humid day, adds a few drops of Worchestershire sauce or Maggi and some hot sauce like tabasco. Sometimes a little tomato juice like Clamato is added. Every place does it a little different but it makes a good accessory to a cold beer.

Beers we tried in Mexico:
(We’re dark beer fans, you’ll see that in most of this list)

Negro Modelo: The classic go-to
Leon: The cheap man’s Negro Modelo
Bohemia Obscura: A step up from the Negro
Indio: Rare, lighter, amber colored brew worth looking for
Tecate Red: Only in a Michelada, please
Estrella: “Claro” or light beer, better than the Coronas and Superiors
Victoria: Medium color and forgettable
XX: Good in a pinch, really benefits from a lime
Casta: The most refined of the dark beers, rare

Only in Mexico: A “social” 40.