"It is not so much a drink as a lifestyle."
—A tourist from England describing the Bloody Mary that my sister Juliette
prepared for him at St. Elmo Bar in Bisbee, Arizona.
prepared for him at St. Elmo Bar in Bisbee, Arizona.
New Year's Day is officially National Bloody Mary Day. Yes, there is such a thing. Little wonder then that such a day is proclaimed after such a night as New Year's Eve. For all of you that are about to party like it is 1999 (which I fondly recall as one my happiest, best New Year's parties ever), you'll want to prepare your Bloody Mary mix ahead of New Year's day. Don't delay, make it now!
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| A little throw back action to our Millennium NYE Party. Bottom photo from left to right:Michelle, Jay and Linda |
The key to an excellent Bloody Mary is to prepare the mix a least a day ahead of time to allow the tomato-y goodness to rest and let the flavors meld. Juliette compares making Bloody Mary mix to preparing a great soup. It's always better the next day.
Juliette's Badass Bloody Mary's + Variations
Juliette recommends making the Bloody Mary mix at least a day before you intend to use it. It will keep in the fridge for at least a week. Back in the day when Juliette tended bar at St. Elmos in Bisbee, she used both V8 and Clamato in equal proportion. Then one day she read the label on the Clamato bottle and discovered, much to her surprise, that the ingredients list contained both high fructose corn syrup and MSG. What the H? Out with the Clamato and in with the clam juice. Feel free to omit the clam juice if you have any vegans in the house.
Makes one large pitcher of Bloody Mary Mix:
1 can (14.9 fl. oz.) Guinness® stout beer
2 quarts (1.89L) V8 Vegetable Juice
1 12-ounce bottle clam juice
about 1/2 cup green olive juice
4 key limes halved and squeezed
1/4 cup Lea and Perrins® Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup Tamari (Gluten-Free) or soy sauce
1 Tbsp celery salt
1 heaping Tbsp prepared horseradish, such as Bubbies®
1 heaping tsp Better Than Bouillon, Organic Beef, Chicken or Vegetarian base diluted and smoothed with a little hot water
1/2 tsp Lawry's® Seasoned Salt or Trocomare®
1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
10 good shakes Tabasco®, or to taste
10 good shakes Jalapeño Tabasco®, or to taste
10 good shakes Chipotle Tabasco®, or to taste
Per Serving:
3 ounces Vodka
Garnishes:
stalk of celery, pimento stuffed green olives and lemon wedge and/or lime wedge
pickled veges, such as: okra, cauliflower, asparagus or green beans
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| In September I began making fermented vegetables. We garnished our Bloody Mary's with fermented green beans, asparagus and Giardiniera. The fermenting caps by FARMCurious are terrific. Two thumbs up! |
1. To make the mix, in a large 3 quart pitcher, add everything but the V8. Whisk well, then add V8. Mix again and refrigerate. This mix is best used cold (put the booze in the fridge or freezer too while you are at it).
2. To make a Bloody Mary, fill a pint glass with cubed ice. Pour 3 ounces of an inexpensive good quality Vodka such as Svedka, Smirnoff, or Skyyy - anything else is overkill - you won't be tasting the vodka much anyway! Fill glass with mix, add a squeezed lemon wedge. If you like, cap the glass with a shaker and shake vigorously. Pour the Bloody Mary back into the pint glass and add celery stalk, olives and your choice of pickled gourmet veggies. Juliette prefers one extra long fancy frilled toothpick with okra, sweet cherry pepper, and cauliflower.
Variations:
1. Bloody Shame - sans alcohol
2. Bloody Maria - with tequila instead of vodka
3. Bloody Caesar - rim the glass with celery salt
4. Bloody Samurai - use Sapporo instead of the Guinness, wasabi instead of horseradish, Sriracha Chili Sauce instead of the Tabasco, and tamari (or soy sauce) instead of the Worcestershire. Use pickled green beans and long dried pieces of seaweed (Ito Wakame) for garnish.
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| On the left, homemade Giardiniera and on the right, fermented asparagus. |
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