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Monday, August 6, 2007

The Poor Man's Margarita



My first taste of the michelada was on a very memorable trip to Cuernavaca, Mexico in 1999. I was hanging out at Los Arcos, a popular outdoor cafe in the center of town. When you order Corona there they bring you an ice filled bucket with about a half dozen adorable Coronitas.

I was there alone on a Sunday evening enjoying a michelada on my birthday. There was a live band playing melodic and percussive mestizo music. After the band's set the drummer, approached me and we started this convoluted conversation about music and philosophy, the plight of indigenous people of Mexico and god knows what else. I say the conversation was convoluted because when two people speak different languages you grab the words you understand, and this leaves you wide open to any turn the conversation takes. It started to downpour like a monsoon under our flimsy tented cover when I said something insipid like, La lluvia es bueno para los arboles. He looked over his shoulder to point out a couple making out on a nearby table and stated La lluvia es bueno para los novios, tambien. Apparently we were both right.


To make a michelada start by rimming a glass with fresh lime.



Roll the glass in salt, preferably kosher salt.



Squeeze the juice of one fresh lime into the glass.



Add ice, and a Mexican beer such as Corona, Pacifico, Dos Equis, Tecate.



OPTIONAL: Add a little bit of tabasco and worcestershire sauce for a little kick.


1 comment:

mishka said...

I was just telling someone about the poor man's margarita the other day. Of course, the only reason I even knew about them was because you made one for me, once upon a poor man's eve.