My friend described her first taste of a Bloody Mary as "pizza in a cup" and I can't help but agree. I crave Bloody Mary's winter, spring, summer, fall. I want them for breakfast and night. I don't even care about it having alcohol, I just love the flavor. It's safe to says that I have perfected my recipe for the best Bloody Mary mix below.
There is so much that I can say about Bloody Mary's but first I will start with the name. If you're a fan of my blog, you know that I love looking into the meaning of why we call certain foods certain things. Apparently in 1921, a long term bartender at what became Harry's New York Bar in Paris combined tomato juice and vodka together and called it "bucket of blood." Appetizing I know. The story becomes a bit fuzzy when it comes to the origination of "Mary" however it is cited to be in reference to the notable Queen Mary whose nickname was "Bloody Mary." The original bartender in Paris claims that a customer took one look at the drink and said it reminds him of his girlfriend Mary. The jury is out on what she looked like but I for one would not want to be compared to this drink in this appearance.
Now onto my history with the Bloody Mary. My father lives for tomatoes. He plants over 100 plants in his backyard every year. Naturally, he's a fan of tomato juice. I for one hated raw tomatoes until I turned 23 and realized their inner beauty. Both of my parents would always, and still to this day, order tomato juice on a plane. At the time, I couldn't think of anything more disgusting. We are all confined on a metal tube flying through the sky and simultaneously breathing in the same air as everyone else. What better way to worsen the experience than permeating that air with a strong tomato flavor. I still don't understand it. I vowed I would never consume anything as disgusting as that for the rest of my life.
Well that changed when I hit my twenties, discovered that I was obsessed with creating food, and also learned that tomatoes aren't that bad. Instead of gagging every time my dad poured spicy V8, I found myself smelling it and even taking a few sips. Well now I'm 29 and I think I would start every day off with a Bloody Mary if it was socially acceptable. I love everything about it. I love the spiciness. I love the bit of horseradish (the more the merrier). I love that you can add Old Bay to a drink! I love the garnishes. Pickles...Yes. Olives....Yes please. I've worked hard creating the best Bloody Mary mix and I think I have finally mastered it. A perfect Bloody Mary should be a meal in a cup. In fact, you can actually chew your Bloody Mary. That is how you know it's done right. This recipe below includes ingredients to make a large batch of Bloody Mary's.
Ingredients:
Now onto my history with the Bloody Mary. My father lives for tomatoes. He plants over 100 plants in his backyard every year. Naturally, he's a fan of tomato juice. I for one hated raw tomatoes until I turned 23 and realized their inner beauty. Both of my parents would always, and still to this day, order tomato juice on a plane. At the time, I couldn't think of anything more disgusting. We are all confined on a metal tube flying through the sky and simultaneously breathing in the same air as everyone else. What better way to worsen the experience than permeating that air with a strong tomato flavor. I still don't understand it. I vowed I would never consume anything as disgusting as that for the rest of my life.
Well that changed when I hit my twenties, discovered that I was obsessed with creating food, and also learned that tomatoes aren't that bad. Instead of gagging every time my dad poured spicy V8, I found myself smelling it and even taking a few sips. Well now I'm 29 and I think I would start every day off with a Bloody Mary if it was socially acceptable. I love everything about it. I love the spiciness. I love the bit of horseradish (the more the merrier). I love that you can add Old Bay to a drink! I love the garnishes. Pickles...Yes. Olives....Yes please. I've worked hard creating the best Bloody Mary mix and I think I have finally mastered it. A perfect Bloody Mary should be a meal in a cup. In fact, you can actually chew your Bloody Mary. That is how you know it's done right. This recipe below includes ingredients to make a large batch of Bloody Mary's.
Ingredients:
- 6 cups tomato juice (I use spicy V8)
- 3/4 cup horseradish
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (juice of 3-4 lemons)
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tbsp Tabasco sauce
- 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1 tsp coursely ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive brine
- 1 tbsp pickle brine
- Celery sticks, green olives, pickles, cocktail onions, lemon or lime wedges, cucumber, cherry tomatoes
- Serve with vodka (obviously)
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