2 Bloody Mary Cocktail Recipes

What is a Bloody Mary? This legendary cocktail serves as the day after cure for many drink aficionados-which is a really nice term for alcoholic- and is easily identified by it's blood red colour and common garnish of celery stalk.

History says that the original drink was little more than vodka and tomato juice before being taken on by other bartenders and being turned into the monster shopping list it presents today.
Even now the common recipe is added to regularly, sometimes it is changed so dramatically you wouldn't call it a Bloody Mary.

Here I present two versions that I know;
The New Orleans Bloody Mary, and a traditional recipe - with an optional English twist.

When you're making a Bloody Mary for someone else it's usually a good idea to ask how they like it. Spicier? More savory than sweet? Less alcohol? Less hangover, more alcohol? As with any cocktail it's good to try it out for yourself, try to make one that's quite balanced to begin with. This means good old scientific experimentation for you m'lad!

Lucky your good friend Vodka is involved.

Ingredients

• Vodka
• Tomato Juice
• Slice of Lemon
• Worcester Sauce
• Tabasco (Hot) Sauce
• Salt
• Pepper
• Celery Stalk (or Celery Salt)
• Ice
• Horseradish

Recipe

To a tall glass with Ice, add;

1-2oz Vodka (30-60ml)

3 oz Tomato Juice (90ml)

Once you get past this part, how much of the rest you add is a matter of taste, and therefore completely up to you.

I like my Bloody Mary spicy and savory, so I add generous splashes of both Tabasco and Worcester sauce, quick dashes of salt & pepper, and a tiny smidge of celery salt (in absence of an actual stalk)

You can either squeeze in some Lemon Juice, or simply garnish with a slice of Lemon, I prefer the latter but again, that's up to you and whether you'd prefer a sweeter Bloody Mary

Stir vigorously and garnish with a Celery Stalk.

The English Twist

Ale

Yes. That flat, warm stuff that the English call beer.

As unlikely an addition to any cocktail it might seem I'm asking you to cast aside thy doubts for a moment and think about it - Almost every ingredient in a Bloody Mary is an unlikely cocktail recipe.

Believe it or not, Ale can actually do wonderful things for a Bloody Mary, and the best part is that English Ale comes in thousands of varieties, with many variables. In an English bar, saying "Wellllll this ones nice" simply doesn't cut it, and serious beer fanatics will devour you through a foot and a half of bar for not knowing what's what.

So when combining the ingredients, simply add a measure of Ale equal to the amount of Vodka.

What's in a name?

Where does one get a name like this for a cocktail? It's an obvious choice, being sort of blood red and all that, but the original intention of the name is a source of some contention.

Many opt for the Queen Mary argument, who history remembers (perhaps a little unfairly) as being a bit bloodthirsty.

Other candidates for the dubious honour include a spirit of folk-lore, a Hollywood actress and a bar waitress

This sweat inducing variation is a favorite of mine, involving many New Orleans-popular spices, it's for those who would have more Tabasco sauce in a regular 'Mary than not. The recipe comes from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch.

Ingredients

• Vodka
• Tomato Juice
• Worcester Sauce
• Tabasco Sauce
• Lemon Juice
• Salt & Pepper
• Cayenne
• Essence (see right)
• Horseradish
• Cocktail Onion

Recipe

Prepare the concoction as you would the traditional Bloody Mary.

Then add half a teaspoon of Essence (Bayou Blast), half a teaspoon of Horseradish, and a pinch of Cayenne.

I find the lemon juice to be optional where others find it essential, I'd recommend no more than a tablespoon. You can use an equal amount of lime juice with the lemon juice if you like.

Stir well and garnish with a cocktail onion.

The continued list of Bloody Mary variations is practically endless, many substituting vodka for other liquors (like Whisky in a Bloody Molly, Gin in a Bloody Murder, etc etc), others adding further alcohol, like in the English Twist above. Removing all alcohol results in a Virgin Mary, so on, so forth.

With a cocktail this diverse, it's possible to do almost anything to better suit it to your taste, give it a go. Experiment, when you know what you like best about a Bloody Mary (or what you don't like at all) you should be able to compliment it's better part with something else you like.

Just, go wild... and when you feel like you've been dragged through the bush backwards the next day, there's always a Bloody Mary to kill that hangover with!