A Bloody Mary is a love-it or hate-it kind of cocktail, which makes sense. You generally drink it at brunch, setting yourself up for a totally wired (or very sleepy) afternoon. It is a meal itself, whereas a Mimosa is just kinda...juice with bubbles. Its base is tomato juice, which grown adults have been known to run from in horror. It is pungent as hellfire and sulfuric brimstone, if you make it with plenty of horseradish, Worcestershire, hot sauce, citrus, and other flavorful odds and ends—which is to say, if you make it the right way. And making a Bloody Mary the right way is why we're here today.
Now, follow along: This recipe above makes one serving of Bloody Mary (two ounces of vodka, about six ounces of mix). Do you want to make only one Bloody Mary? Probably not, but maybe you're a solo bruncher. However, you can go for the batch by doing some simple arithmetic; in the videos below, for example, we doubled the recipe. Then, garnish wherever your salt- and citrus-craving soul takes you: lemon wedges, pepperoncinis, cherry peppers with feta, shrimp, pickled green beans, garlic dill pickle spears, caperberries, and of course, the classic celery stalk. Experiment with gusto.
A Little Background
The Bloody Mary has been called a thing or two over the years. Supposedly, it originated in Paris in the 1920s, when Russians fleeing their civil war brought vodka to the rest of Europe and a bartender mixed it with tomato juice to tempt American expats. It made its way to the States in the next decade, where it was spiced up with new ingredients and dubbed the Red Snapper. Another early name for it was supposedly the Bucket of Blood (spookier, and grosser). Eventually, it became ubiquitous as the Bloody Mary—whether for Queen Mary Tudor who ordered the bloodshed of Protestants in England, or for a woman named Mary who spilled tomato cocktail on her dress, or for a waiter named Mary who worked at the Bucket of Blood saloon in Chicago, we don't know. What we do know is that back in the day, they weren't topping Bloody Marys with fried chicken carcasses and steak skewers. But hey, things evolve.
If You Like This, Try These
The Bloody Mary is a classic brunch cocktail, and if you're looking to put on a whole brunch spread, you can add a Mimosa or a Bellini. They're lighter, but some folks prefer that. The Michelada is also sometimes considered a brunch drink; it's made with beer, Clamato tomato cocktail, and spices, and is a tangier (but less potent) tomato-based drink than the Bloody Mary. A Bloody Maria is a Bloody Mary made with tequila instead of vodka. And finally, there's the Bullshot: a downright weird mix of vodka and Campbell's beef broth. Savory is savory.
What You Need
Here’s what you need to do a Bloody Mary justice, beyond what you might be able to dig out of the fridge or cupboard.
Vodka
Tomato Juice
Hot Sauce
Salt + Pepper
Celery Seed
Blender
Glasses
Food styling by Sean Dooley
Prop styling by Heidi's Bridge
Photographed by Jeffrey Westbrook
