There’s a ton of reasons to drink bloody marys. Maybe you need a stiff drink to ease your mind after a long day. Maybe you just like tomato juice and vodka. Whatever the reason, the bloody mary is a great drink for brunch (Wait, vodka is food, right?), tailgating and even classy parties. It’s versatile and easy to make, but the best part is that the original recipe is so simple that it can be varied massively and still taste the same – like a delicious bloody mary. Check out this simple classic recipe:
For a regular old bloody mary, you will need
o 2oz of vodka
o 6 oz of some kind of tomato juice or any kind of bloody mary mixes
o Lemon wedges or celery
o Worcestershire sauce
o Hot Sauce
Take these ingredients (except the lemon wedge), and pour them in a glass of ice, vodka first, then tomato juice, and the sauces. Pour back and forth into another glass until they are mixed well, and garnish with the lemon wedge. That makes a great classic bloody mary. If you want something more, please, read on
Spicing up your Bloody Marys.
Now that the boring part is out of the way, here’s the real skinny on how to make bloody marys. Bloody Marys are supposed to be spicy and fun. Instead of plain old tomato juice, you can use bloody mary mixes such as:
Longbranch Bloody Mary Mix
Seawitch Bloody Mary Mix
Clamato
V8
These bloody mary mixes generally have the hot sauces and mixes in them so choose carefully. Also, be aware of your salt content – many tomato juices and mixes have added sodium for taste, and therefore salt should be used sparingly if at all
When you are choosing your garnish, pick something spicy and different, and kick the hot sauce and lemon wedge out of the picture. You can choose Hot and Spicy Beans, or if you like olives, use Redneck Habanero Stuffed Olives to give that spicy tang and still have a beautiful garnish.
You can even use pepper vodka to make your bloody mary extra hot. Other than lemon or pepper vodka, do not use other flavored vodkas to make your drinks. Also, try these cool ideas:
o Use a lime wedge to moisten the rim of the glass and then dip in salt and pepper, or even just plain lemon pepper
o Add a bit of horseradish or wasabi for an EXTRA kick.
o Smoked bacon is a great garnish for a bloody mary and provides an interesting flavor to boot.
o Try a Caesar – this is a bloody mary with chopped clams or clam juice in
On a more hilarious note: The bloody Mary could very well be considered a meal to itself. Between vodka (a grain), tomato juice and garnishes (vegetables), and lemon or lime wedges (fruit), you’ve got three food groups. Add a cheese sandwich and you’ve got a complete meal. (Not really, that’s a joke. Please don’t make bloody marys a regular part of your nutritional meal plan.) Enjoy responsibly!
