Friday Cocktails: Chavela

By Greg Ferro

Credit: Maxime Iattoni

If you're a Jets fan, like me, there's nothing super about the upcoming Super Bowl: the hated Giants playing the despised Patriots? It's like a recurring nightmare�we had to suffer through the same game just four years ago! Back then, I survived by focusing on the food and drink. Well, mostly the drink, and this year the survival plan is the same. On hand will be chavelas, beer-based cocktails that hail from Mexico (they're part of the country's great tradition of cervezas preparadas � prepared beers).

With a base of tomato juice and Corona, chavelas get a punch from a generous pour of hot sauce and a salted rim, which helps them stand up to the spicy foods that are a staple of game day at my house: the chili my wife Jenn makes, and the football-shaped meatballs my mom fashions for the occasion. Plus, they're light enough that you can drink them all day and still be able to keep track of the numbers in those tiny boxes of your football pool. (Confidential to fellow Jets fans: I recommend kicking off your first chavela with a shot of tequila, the perfect way to brace yourself for watching the game.)

See the recipe for Chavela (Mexican Beer with Tomato Juice) »