Bloody Marys are a favorite of most every cocktail imbiber since it’s totally acceptable to sip one or two before noon and just think of the powerhouse of vitamins you’re getting in each fortified sip.
Some like ‘em mild, some want them over over the top spiced, and everyone has their druthers. Therein lies the reason to create a Build Your Own Bloody Mary Bar for a mix and match cocktail soireé that will leave them sipping for more.
Follow these tips for the ultimate Bloody Mary
While there are some decent bloody mary mixes on the market, creating your own Bloody Mary mix guarantees a fresh and flavorful mix. My recipe at the end of the post might just be the best Bloody Mary to slither past your puckered lips.
I use regular tomato juice as the base for my mix but if you prefer a bit more bite, V-8 or Clamato have built in flavor. Clamato is a bit thinner if you prefer the texture. I like to serve one mild option and one spicy. And then I spice it up even more once it hits my glass.
Prepared horseradish, celery salt, black pepper, garlic salt, worcestershire and a couple of dashes of Tabasco are the musts in my mix. Go hot or regular strength with your horsey sauce depending on your spicy preference.
When it comes to vodka, my Pickle-Infused Vodka adds a piquant punch. Cucumber or jalapeño would be a fun option too. Or stay classic with unflavored brands like Titos, Effen, Ketel One, Stoli or Smirnoff #57.
Show off your garnishing ingenuity by putting your pickled veggies and extra bites center stage for your guests to pick and choose and create a loaded drink. Or a simple one if that’s the way they roll. And be sure to have skewers on hand that are long enough to fit the size of your trimmings for maximum loadability.
Have plenty of ice on hand. Bloody Mary’s are best when refreshingly cold so top glasses to the rim and serve with refrigerated Mary mix.
Create different flavored salts to rim your glass by combining kosher salt with different chile powders or herbs. Set on small plates that just fit the rim of your glass and set out an additional plate with water to wet the rim before salting.
And now for the good stuff. Go crazy or classic, it’s up to you to pick and choose the accoutrements to create your ultimate Bloody Mary.
Add a Salad to Your Bloody Mary
- Lemons
- Limes
- Celery
- Cucumber slices
- Kosher pickle spears
- Pimento or cheese stuffed green olives
- Pickled beans and asparagus
- Pickled okra
- Pickled beets, cauliflower or carrots
- Pickled jalapeños
- Pepperocinis, peppadews or other peppers
- Large caper berries
- Marinated artichoke hearts
- Marinated pearl onions
- Baby corn
Make Your Bloody Mary Protein-Rich
- Bacon
- Oysters
- Cooked shrimp
- Beef jerky or pepperoni stick
- Steak bits
- Hard boiled eggs
- Cheese squares
Season It Up
- Old Bay seasoning
- Garlic salt
- Garlic powder
- Celery salt
- Smoked paprika
- Lemon pepper
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Seasoned salts
- Pickle juice
- Olive brine
Flavor It Up
- Tabasco sauce
- Chohula
- Frank’s Red Hot sauce
- Tapatio sauce
- Louisiana hot sauce
- Sriracha
- Worcestershire sauce
- Steak sauce
- BBQ sauce
The Best Bloody Mary Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 48 ounce can of tomato juice or about 6 cups
- 1 10 ounce can Hatch Original Medium Diced Tomatoes & Green Chiles
- 1 Tablespoon prepared creamy hot horseradish
- 1 Tablespoon puréed ginger
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (1)
- 1 Tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 1/4 teaspoons celery salt (1)
- 3 teaspoons garlic salt *
- 1 Tablespoon Frank’s Hot Sauce*
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon celery salt
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- Pickle-infused vodka or regular vodka if you prefer
Procedure
- Mix the tomato juice, horseradish, worcestershire sauce, celery salt, garlic salt and black pepper in a large pitcher. Season with 10-15 shakes of Tabasco sauce, or to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- To assemble drinks, mix the celery salt and kosher salt on a small plate. Dip the rim of your glass in a shallow amount of water, then dip into the salt mix and twist. Fill an 8 ounce glass to the top with ice. Add 2 ounces of pickle-infused vodka or regular vodka then top with bloody mary tomato mixture.
- Garnish with limes, lemons, celery ribs, blue cheese stuffed olives, bacon strips, pepperocinis, cooked shrimp, hot sauce, pickles, pickled asparagus or green beans, pickled beets, chunks of cheese and anything your heart desires.
Leave a Reply