There is a special bond between a man (or a woman) and his/her drink. This bond may be the act of drinking or the act of mixing (for me mostly it’s the former). This bond has been challenged twice for Micheladas, as a competition between some of Houston's finest mixologists. The first event was held at Anvil Bar & Refuge and the second rematch (in an attempt to challenge first-match winner Bobby Heugel) at Beaver’s. The Michelada throwdown and rematch were so popular, Anvil and Beaver's announced that they are teaming up to offer cocktail throwdowns on a regular basis. These bi-monthly cocktail competitions will be held at Anvil and catered by Beaver's.

What should you expect at a cocktail throwdown? I went to the second Michelada competition, and here's what I saw.

A panel of seven distinguished judges comprised of chefs, food bloggers and a wine & liquor expert prepped their livers. The 10 competitors were preparing two drinks each. Yes, although it was a Michelada throw down, the second drink each contestant had to prepare was a Bloody Mary, and they made some damn good ones too!

The contestants were graded on taste, creativity and presentation. Gloves were off at this throwdown and some of the prep work started hours and even days before the competition day itself. One of the most time consuming presentations was the set-up for David Buehrer from Tuscany Coffee.

David Buehrer's set up.: Geri Druckman

First one needs to understand what a Michelada is. A Michelada, broken down to its basic simple form is a beer-based alcoholic beverage, mixed with other ingredients such as lime juice, spices, peppers and tomato juice. You may add other ingredients to it, as long as you don’t take away from the basic flavor of the beer. When you’re working on your own concoction, remember to combine all the ingredients in a shaker except for the beer! Once all is shaken, either pour the mixture over the beer or the beer over the mixture, and give it a light stir.

Bobby Heugel from Anvil, who seems to be Houston’s undefeated mixologist, won first place in both the Michelada and Bloody Mary categories.

When Bobby presented his Michelada he raised a few eyebrows as he sat glasses on the table that contained only a slice of lime and a murky ice cube. “Smell it!” he said with a grin. “It’s smoked ice!”
Smoked ice in glass.: Geri Druckman

He then proceeded to fill the glass with his Michelada concoction and topped it off with Tecate beer. It was delicious.

Bobby Huegel pours his Michelada.: Geri Druckman

Below you will find Bobby’s winning Michelada recipe. In order to prepare it the right way you may need to start a few days ahead of time with two of its special ingredients: smoked ice and the Habanero tincture.

Habanero Tincture
Fill a jar with Habanero peppers (the size of jar will determine how much of the tincture will be produced), and top it off with a spirit such as vodka. Make sure to use unflavored vodka. Seal with a lid and let it sit in a dry place with no direct sunlight, such as your pantry. The alcohol will infuse itself with the spiciness and heat from the Habanero peppers. Your Habanero tincture should be ready in about 3 days.

Smoked Ice

The easy (not Bobby-recommended) way is to buy liquid smoke, but the more labor intensive way is to make it yourself. Heat water over smoking wood chips and capture the condensation that is now infused with the smoke, dilute with some more water to achieve desired smokiness, and freeze.

Smoked Ice Michelada
Place a slice of lime and a cube of smoked ice in a glass.

Shake, and pour over the smoked ice

1 oz London Dry Gin

1 oz Lime juice

2 oz Tomato juice

4 dashes of Habanero tincture

Add 3 oz (or more) Tecate beer

Cheers! Enjoy with friends, and drink responsibly.