Squeezing a lime wedge into your Corona is not particularly adventuresome. That beer-additive is commonplace, particularly among baby boomers and the slightly younger generations.
But a michelada is another story entirely.
It's a Mexican invention of beer mixed with a blend of lime juice, Tabasco sauce and beef seasoning, served in a glass rimmed with salt.
Charles Davis discovered the michelada a decade ago when he visited a Mexican bar and was impressed by a drink he thinks could be the world's next margarita.
"I ordered a beer," the McAllen, TX, businessman said, "but the waiter brought me out something that definitely didn't look like a beer. I got hooked right then and there. The carbonation from the beer combined with the tomato and lime mixture just creates this flavor explosion."
Davis, who told his tale in an interview with the San Antonio Express-News, is selling a bottled mix called Michelada Mix on the Internet and in stores across Texas through his company, Habagallo Foods. The mix is made in San Antonio.
Davis told the newspaper he has traced the drink's roots to the 1940s, when Mexican bar patrons would spice up their beer with Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce and other seasonings.
He plans to expand his sales points to other major Texas cities. In five years of tightly-controlled test marketing, his sales of Michelada Mix have quadrupled.
Davis estimates that overall online and retail sales account for about 9,600 bottles of Michelada Mix a month.
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