The Mexican beer cocktail made with lime juice and chili salt is a michelada.
A michelada is typically prepared with beer, lime juice, salt, and chile or hot sauce, then served cold in a salt-rimmed glass. Recipes vary widely: some include Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, Maggi seasoning, chamoy, tomato juice, clamato, or fresh chiles. That flexibility is why micheladas can taste citrusy, salty, spicy, savory, or all four at once.
The drink is often confused with a chelada. In many descriptions, a chelada is the simpler combination of beer, lime, and salt, while a michelada adds chile, hot sauce, or other savory seasonings. Usage differs by region and bar, however, so the boundary is not universal.
One popular origin story comes from San Luis Potosí in the 1960s, where Michel Ésper reportedly ordered beer with lime, salt, ice, and a straw. The name may also derive from the Mexican phrase mi chela helada, meaning “my ice-cold beer.” Both explanations remain part of the drink’s colorful history.