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Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul’s competing recipes for National Michelada Day

Smokey, fruity, or spicy – there's a Michelada recipe for every taste

By Georgina Torbet Jul 12, 2024 12:54 PM

Dos Hombres Mezcal & Modelo

Today, July 12, is National Michelada Day, so that’s the ideal excuse to kick back with this classic Mexican beer cocktail. Beer cocktails aren’t the easiest thing to create as beer has such a low alcohol percentage and high amount of water compared to spirits — but when you get it right, there are few things more refreshing. As the beloved combination of Mexican lager, lime, and tomato juice proves, there’s a great way to mix almost any ingredient.

Another fun aspect of the Michelada is its flexibility. You can use clamato juice in place of the tomato juice, pour in an extra shot of spirit, and add whatever combination of hot sauces or umami sauces that your heart desires. As the drink is traditionally served in a glass with a salt rim, you can also add bonus flavors here like making a chili salt or using salt and pepper. And of course you can garnish with anything from fruit to pickles.

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To celebrate the day, actors Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston have team up with Dos Hombres Mezcal and Modelo beer to create their own dueling versions of the Michelada recipe, so you can try out either (or both!) and pick a favorite.

Two Michelada recipes for National Michelada Day

Fire & Smoke Michelada (Aaron)

Dos Hombres mezcal
Beer of your choice
Dash of hot sauce
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Michelada mix
Garnish with lime juice and chipotle salt rim and a piece of bacon

Fiesta Picante Michelada (Bryan)

Dos Hombres mezcal
Beer of your choice
Lime juice
Large slices of ginger and jalapeño, muddled into pineapple juice
Pinch of chipotle salt
Garnish with chipotle salt rim and pineapple wedge

Georgina has been the space writer at Digital Trends space writer for six years, covering human space exploration, planetary… Read Full Bio

Topics

Liquor, Beer, Wine & Drinks

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Classic lagers to drink if you want your beer to “taste like beer”

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When you think about the flavor of beer, what do you imagine? To me, it’s a crisp, refreshing, no-frills lager. The type of beer you’d just as likely crack open on an unseasonably warm spring day while grilling as you would after an afternoon of mowing the lawn on a hot, hazy, humid summer day. It’s light, refreshing, and tastes like beer.

That’s not to say that there isn’t a place for chocolate- and coffee-centric porters or boozy, barrel-aged stouts, or even tart, lip-smacking sour beers. There is a time and place for those and many other styles. It’s just that sometimes I want to crack open a beer and not taste an explosion of tropical fruit juices or get bashed in the head with malts or oaky wood. I want a beer that tastes the way I imagine it should. Specifically, I’m thinking about a balanced, thirst-quenching lager.