Monday Night Recovery: Michelada

Just as an aperitif sets the mood for a four-course meal, your first Monday night drink sets the tone for the rest of your boozy encounters to come between now and Friday. It’s not wise to combine a Monday-addled mind with a full-ABV stirred cocktail, so slowly dip your toes into the week of drinking with a lighter tipple. And since it’s officially football season, a beer-tail is in order.

A Michelada fits the bill perfectly, supplying a low-level buzz, savory flavor to tide you over until dinner, and enough beer to hug you like you need to be hugged on a Monday. Several kinds of hot sauce, lime juice, tomato juice and Maggi seasoning, piled on top of Mexican lager, add a bit of spice to your weekday routine. While there are more complicated ways to fancy up the cocktail (and don’t let anyone convince you it isn’t one), the classic involves just the right amount of preparation to take your mind off work.

And if you had one of those Mondays that gives the day a bad name—your boss berated you, you stuck your foot in your mouth in front of the client, the coffee machine was broken, you’re a cat named Garfield, etc—you should pick up a case of the Mondays, by which we mean beer, to share a round of Micheladas with a couple good pals.

Learn how to make a classic Michelada.

matthew kelly / supercall
matthew kelly / supercall