SalsasEasyFree

Drunken Salsa

Name: Drunken Salsa
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 6 Dried pasilla chilli; 200 ml Dark beer; 3 Garlic cloves; 0.5 White onion; 100 g Fresh cheese; 1 tbsp Vegetable oil; 1 to taste Salt

30 min (15 prep + 15 cook) Easy 8 servings Nacional

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 11 Mar 2026 · Updated: 16 Apr 2026

Pasilla chilli salsa with beer or pulque, perfect with barbacoa.

About this recipe

Salsa borracha - literally "drunken salsa" - is a traditional Mexican sauce named after the beer or pulque included in its preparation. It is made from toasted pasilla chillies, garlic, onion, crumbled fresh cheese, and a generous splash of dark beer or pulque that gives it a deep, slightly bitter, and utterly addictive flavour. The pasilla chillies are toasted on a comal until they release their smoky aroma, briefly soaked, then ground in a molcajete (traditionally) or blender with the other ingredients. The texture is rustic, with visible pieces of chilli and cheese. It is the inseparable companion of lamb barbacoa, mixiotes, and carnitas tacos in the markets of central Mexico. Every barbacoa stall has its own version, and diners consider it just as important as the meat itself.

History & Origin

Salsa borracha has its roots in pre-Hispanic central Mexico, where pulque - a fermented agave drink - was sacred and used in both religious ceremonies and everyday cooking. When the Spanish introduced beer, it began to replace pulque in many preparations, including this salsa. The name "borracha" (drunken) refers to the alcohol it contains, though much of it evaporates during cooking. In the markets of Actopan (Hidalgo), the barbacoa capital, salsa borracha is mandatory: each stall prepares it fresh every morning in a molcajete, and customers judge the quality of a stall by its salsa as much as its meat. In Mexico City, Sunday barbacoa is incomplete without it. Variants abound: in Tlaxcala chicharrón is added, in Querétaro chile morita is used, and in Puebla bitter orange juice is incorporated. The crumbled fresh cheese stirred in at the end softens the heat.

Estimated cost

£6.00

Total cost

£0.75

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

Calories

Protein

Carbohydrates

Fat

Fibre

280mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Toast the pasilla chillies in a comal (flat griddle) or frying pan dry over medium heat for 30 seconds on each side, presionándolos with a spatula. Deben cambiar of colour slightly and liberar its aroma. No the quemes.
2
Soak the chillies toasted in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3
In the same comal (flat griddle), asa the garlic cloves and the onion until they have spots doradas on all sides, aproximadamente 5 minutes.
4
Blend or grind in molcajete (stone mortar) the chillies, the garlic, the onion roasted, the cerveza and the salt until you get a sauce of texture semi-rustic. No should be completely lisa.
💡 If using molcajete (stone mortar), the flavour es notablemente mejor.
5
Pour the sauce in a bowl, incorpora the crumbled fresh cheese and mixture gently. Serve at room temperature.
💡 La sauce thick to the reposar; ajusta with a little more cerveza if desired.