Cooking with Karina: Chill Out

Karina Arnold makes this refreshing cocktail at home.

Karina Arnold is a senior at the University of Oklahoma who’s passionate about healthy cooking. She provides creative, healthy recipes and tips on clean eating.

ICE COLD BEER! GET YA ICE COLD BEER! The loud, obnoxious shouts compete with the cheers and moans from the fans. The beer-man shouts are annoying. If you wanted a beer you would get up and get one. However, an hour has passed under the hot, relentless sun and the bleak score burns just as bad. You wipe your sweaty palms on your jeans, reach in your pocket, pull out a damp five-dollar bill and flag down beer-man faster than the ref can call a foul.

Beer is an American classic and summer staple. Whether you are back-porch sipping, floating the river and drinking or cheering and glugging, ice-cold beer is the perfect drink to drink to during Houston’s hot summer days. After work, my mom, dad and I like to sit on our back porch, dip our toes in the pool and crack a cold one. After interviewing my engineering/beer-brewing friend from college in Just a Dude Who Brews, I learned beer’s complex flavors, brewing process and exquisite history. He even taught me how to start my own craft here.

Back at college, I know summer is gone but the nostalgia isn’t. This fall, kick up your feet and drink this treat. I wanted to make beer a little classier and a little sassier. Channeling the summer vibes but adding a fall twist, I made this Cherry-Tomato Michelada. Using ingredients you already have, you can sip this drink with friends and family during Labor Day get-togethers, or anytime.

The transition between summer and fall is never easy. Keep the chill, summer vibes going by grabbing an ICE COLD BEER and a buddy. What are your favorite beers? Know of any microbreweries you want to share? Comment below!