Bloody Mary - B&B Classic Cocktails

[castlecraver]

The Bloody Mary certainly is a wildcard of a cocktail. Therein, you'll find ingredients you won't find in any other drink. It's an acquired taste, and a drink that's developed the regrettable reputation as a classic "eye-opener." But if you can get past that, and want to move beyond the canned "Bloody Mary Mixes," (seriously, how is it that people drink those mixes straight, sans vodka? I swear, just about every time I get on an airplane, I see one or two people doing this. Baffling) its a satisfying, intriguing and tasty (not to mention tomato juice is probably good for you)

So, let's begin. Gather your supplies:

We have: Vodka, Tomato Juice, Lemon, Celery Salt, Black Pepper, Worcestershire Sauce, Tabasco Sauce, Celery stalk garnish, glassware and ice

First, juice a lemon:

You'll need only 1oz of lemon juice, which is usually about half a lemon

Pour that in your mixing glass and add 3oz of Vodka.

And empty in a can (~5.5oz) of Tomato Juice. The cans are recommended if you don't make these frequently, or drink Tomato juice regularly. The more ambitious amongst you might juice your own tomatoes. Kudos.

I strongly advocate not using V8. I know it sounds like a great idea, but I think it tastes terrible in a Bloody Mary.

Now here's where things get tricky and you have to figure out your taste. Add a dash of Worcestershire Sauce. I find that it's very easy to ruin the drink by adding too much Worcestershire.

And add a couple dashes of Tabasco. You have a lot more wiggle room on the "heat," adding more, less, or no tabasco as desired. Some folks even add fresh (please... fresh) horseradish at this point. I prefer not to, but I can definitely see the appeal.

Shake in some black pepper and celery salt...

and you'll end up with something that looks a little bit like this

At this point, you can add other ingredients if desired. As I mentioned, horseradish is popular. I've seen olive juice, cayenne pepper, bouillon, clamato/fish stock, and other stuff. As I said, this is kind of a "wildcard" drink and you can usually get away with adding whatever you like so long as it tastes good to you.

Give it a little stir...

And pour it over cubed ice with a celery stalk as garnish. People use all sorts of crazy garnish with Bloodys too, which definitely makes for an appealing presentation. You can skewer and hang just about any fruit or veggie, prosciutto, onion, shrimp... but for today, I'm keeping it simple.

And there you have it. A delicious, homemade Bloody Mary.

Enjoy!! Let me know what you think of my recipe, and suggest other creative Bloody Mary ingredients if you know of any.

Cheers!

 

[ratcheer]

Enjoy!! Let me know what you think of my recipe, and suggest other creative Bloody Mary ingredients if you know of any.

Cheers!

I think your recipe is spot on. I wish I had the stuff to make one, right now.

Tim

 

[Scotto]

Awesome job, Pat!

I love cocktails, but tomato juice is just vile. Even liquor can't make it taste better.

 

[stobes21]

Very nicely done Pat! I can't say I've ever particularly enjoyed these, but your write up makes me want to revisit this classic.

 

[TimmyBoston]

Bang up job, as usual Pat!

 

[TimmyBoston]

I think your recipe is spot on. I wish I had the stuff to make one, right now.

Tim

Tim, don't you make your bloody mary's with gin?

 

[Todd G]

A beautiful drink. I prefer lime juice to lemon juice and sometimes add horseradish and lemon pepper. Nice pics.

 

[sfbobus]

Great post. Thank you. It has been ages since I made
one.

 

[Johnny Dale]

A beautiful drink. I prefer lime juice to lemon juice and sometimes add horseradish and lemon pepper. Nice pics.

I use a little horseradish too! Never thought of lemon pepper. I'll have to try that!

The variances with mine are I like Spicy V-8 and Tapatio hot sauce instead.

Ohh, and more Vodka!

 

[Confuzius]

I use lime juice instead of lemon, with horseradish and Frank's Red Hot instead of Tobasco.

Also I'll sometimes sub tomato for clamato and call it a Caesar because I'm Canadian.

 

[Brodirt]

Awesome job, Pat!

I love cocktails, but tomato juice is just vile. Even liquor can't make it taste better.

I must agree. I have never understood the Bloody Mary, maybe those here that enjoy them can enlighten me. Pat?

 

[clubman]

The nice thing about the Bloody Mary is that it's SO flexible... here's some ideas:

Unlike say, a Margarita, using a mix is generally a good thing here and helps give it more dimension than just tomato juice. Tabasco's mix is a great one, Snap-e-tom brand ain't bad either.

I would say use less vodka. 3oz is a little much in the morning, everyone's going to be plowed after a couple of these. 1.5-2 works better, IMO.

Horseradish is a must. The key is to get a little jar with a lid and put a few spoonfuls of horseradish in there along with some of the tomato mix and shake it really good to get a nice smooth mixture, then pour that in the drink. Powdered wasabi can also work well here.

As others have mentioned, lime juice is often preferred over lemon in this one.

A little bit of barbeque sauce can work, you need one that dissolves well though.

You can pour in a little pickle juice or olive brine, gives it a nice kick.

Rimming the glass with cracked pepper can be nice sometimes.

Some people like clam juice, best to add your own a little bit at a time instead of using Clamato as the base.

The condiments can really make or break a bloody mary - since everyone's likely had a rough night, a little nourishment will be greatly appreciated by all. Here's some that I've experienced:

• Pickled green beans (a MUST!)
• Olives
• Whole caperberries
• Sardines (not everyone will go for this)
• Bacon
• Pickled okra
• Shrimp
• Salami
• Prawn heads
• Cherry tomatoes
• Pepperoncini

Since your guests (and you!) will be in a fragile state when you serve these, it's best not to overdo it with the garnishes, 3 or 4 items max, I'd say, any more and it starts to get overwhelming.

A great variation is a bullshot (sub chilled beef boullion instead of the tomato juice) or a bloody bull (half and half boullion and tomato juice/mix).

The whole idea of the Bloody Mary, of course, is to enable everyone to make it through that difficult time after the previous night's debauchery and fortify them for another one!

 

[Walter Sobchak]

Nice post. A favorite of mine.

I sometimes substitute Clamato, and I always use a liberal amount of horseradish.

 

[pal]

Good Show Pat! I think you have rekindled by love for a good Bloody Mary. I can remember when I was in college we would have S.O.S and Bloody Marys for breakfast on Saturday mornings. That's right, breakfast. Try it sometime, it is a great combination. Besides that, there is nothing like starting the day with a little buzz.

 

[TimmyBoston]

I must agree. I have never understood the Bloody Mary, maybe those here that enjoy them can enlighten me. Pat?

It's an excuse to drink in the morning.

If you're a tomato juice fan, it's perfect for you. A friend of mine, she's obsessed with them.

 

[castlecraver]

I must agree. I have never understood the Bloody Mary, maybe those here that enjoy them can enlighten me. Pat?

Permit me to get a little philosophical for a moment...

The science of cocktails can be undertaken rather successfully within defined parameters. Use of <10 standard base liquors, another dozen or so typical mixers, bitters, soda, and a few assorted garnishes. Nothing too awfully complex, and the learning curve is very favorable. With some knowledge, just a few basic skills and a moderately-well stocked liquor cabinet, you can easily mix and drink for a lifetime of satisfaction.

The art of cocktails is something altogether different. Therein one considers not just the flair of preparation and presentation, but also the creative and sometimes reckless spark that moves the inspired tippler to combine, of all things, tomato juice, lemon juice and Worcestershire Sauce. The idea nearly runs completely afoul of the science, but dammit, it works. It's not the tastiest drink ever, and certainly not the manliest. But it proudly stands alone in a world of sours and slings and for that, you owe it to yourself and the memory of the magnificent bastard who first made it his own to give it a go... just once.

 

[Confuzius]

I always thought that they were just a nutritional break in-between martinis, a man can not survive on olives alone!

 

[cricky101]

Mmmmm.... morning drinking.

 

[ratcheer]

Tim, don't you make your bloody mary's with gin?

Yes, I do, but I didn't see any need to add (or detract) to Pat's great post. I just don't like vodka, but that's just me.

Tim

 

[danek]

Betcha didn't know that a gin bloody mary is named a Red Snapper, I didn't. I only know this because someone once told me they preffered red snappers to bloody marys and I had to look it up.