While living in Manhattan, my husband and I loved to frequent Caracas Arepa Bar for delicious Venezuelan food and drinks. One of our favorite drinks was their Michelada. I have searched and searched for a recipe that was similar to theirs and eventually gave up and decided to try to replicate it myself for Father’s Day. One problem… I forgot what it tasted like! The recipe I composed below is a refreshing beer based drink that is perfect for serving on a hot summer day. Is it the exact recipe from Caracas Arepa Bar? Definitely not, but still worth a drink!
- 3 tbsp rapadura or panela
- ½ a slice of jalapeno pepper (more or less depending on hotness)
- 3 oz lemon juice, freshly squeezed and strained
- 1 12 oz pilsnar beer
- salt
- muddle/stir rapadura, jalapeno and lemon juice in a shaker until sugar is dissolved
- strain into salt rimmed pilsner glass
- add cold pilsner
- stir and enjoy
Definitely make sure you use rapadura or panela sugar. These are the same type of sugar, just different names. This type of cane sugar is unrefined and has a very distinct flavor. I found Quirky Cooking’s comparison of sugars extremely helpful when crafting this beer beverage.
Also, I thought it was interesting that during my research I discovered a common Venezuelan drink, Limonada Con Panela. It is basically panela, water and lime or lemon juice mixed. Essentially my drink – beer. Doesn’t it sound refreshing! Very similar to lemonade. I absolutely love learning new things about different cuisines!
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