As a lighthouse guides a ship through the fog, so too does the idea of the Bloody Mary guide those through the fog of a hangover; out of their sleeping quarters and off to brunch. And I’m assuming after the White Party, Bloody Mary sales will be up and drinkers may even look like the scary legend of a tear, blood and makeup-smeared ghoulish woman peering back at you in the mirror of a darkened bathroom.
Bloody Mary’s come in all shapes and forms these days: made with bourbon, served with beef jerky, celery-salted rims, skewers of grilled shrimp. The derivations are many but the end results are the same, a drink that acts almost as a meal to those who might be a bit nauseous to the idea of solid foods. And depending on the ingredients chosen, this liquid meal is providing the nutritional requirements for stamina throughout the day. The recipe provided uses V8 juice which is loaded in vitamins and minerals.
But since everyone’s tastes differ all so slightly, if you are having a brunch at home, I like to have a build your own bloody Mary bar. I provide a moderately spiked and unassertive base-mix and also side bottles of the Mary mix contents and vegetables on the side. Specific items include but are not limited to: different types of hot sauce including Cholula, Tabasco and the smoked chipotle sauce from Trader Joe’s; other sauces and condiments such as Worcestershire, prepared horseradish and whole grain Dijon are good to have also. For the produce accoutrement I include pickled green beans, raw cucumbers, pickled cauliflower and carrots, celery and romaine hearts, olives, and wedges of lime and lemon.
For a Bloody Mary bar, be sure to provide plenty of ice and maybe even little signs for the vegetables. You could go further and make two or three different mixes for your guests to choose. Do not forget straws, cocktail napkins, a pepper mill and a dish of celery salt to rim the glasses if desired. And the most important thing, in my opinion, is having a shaker handy so that the Mary’s can easily be homogenized, versus the mess of trying to stir all those amazing ingredients with a straw.
I developed the recipe provided by having a bloody Mary tasting party. I invited over eight people on an early Sunday afternoon in 2006 and had pre-prepared four separate mixes. I made note cards with tasting notes; ascribing a 1-5 with respect to the heat, acidity, sweetness, salty, etc. and provided room for personal notes. This party was a hoot. I provided some of my favorite brunch fare and received the input to make the best Bloody Mary for all my friends at the next brunch gathering.
I hope you will all be safe while gallivanting around this weekend. Don’t forget to pre-fill those flasks, program the taxi cab numbers in your phone, and pre-set your alarm clock. And most importantly, don’t forget that a sick day taken the monday after the White Party may be regarded as an obvious hangover day. Have fun and enjoy your bloody’s.
Bob’s Ultimate Bloody Mary:
This bloody Mary mix is thicker than the usual but still quite drinkable. The recipe will serve about 20-25 people so reserve it for a party or scale it down for individual consumption. This is a hybrid of 4 separate recipes I tried and tasting notes from my friends. Be sure to let your guests know if you choose to pre-spike it.
4 cups V8 (I prefer the antioxidant variety if available)
4 cups Clamato Juice
Tablespoon prepared horseradish
2 teaspoons very finely grated onion
2 tablespoons Tabasco
4 tablespoons olive juice
2 juiced lemons
2 juiced limes
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
8 halved and chopped celery hearts
1 teaspoon celery salt
Homogenize the above ingredients with an immersion blender (or in batches using a counter blender)
Stir in 3 cups vodka
Serve with stalks of celery hearts and a celery-salted rim (if desired)
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