How To Make An Incredible Bloody Mary

Oh the Bloody Mary….the cocktail of folklore and the worlds excuse to drink alcohol for breakfast.

We wax lyrical about the Negroni here a lot, but we have got to say the Bloody Mary transcends the boundaries of the perfect cocktail.It’s power lies in its ability to morph into a drink for any palate. Every Bloody Mary the world over is different…its all about how you take it.

If you’ve been living in a cave and don’t know what a Bloody Mary is, it’s a blend of tomato juice, seasonings, spices and base spirit – usually vodka.

Over the course of this post we are going to share some recipes, options for seasonings and spices, what base spirit to use and importantly – how to make a killer Bloody Mary.

What’s Your Base Spirit?

First things first what’s your tipple?

Traditionally a Bloody Mary is mixed with vodka as its neutral flavour profile is the most versatile. Vodka has that ability to blend into the background of cocktails flavour wise, while still ensuring those secret elements such as mouthfeel and balance are supported.

As Bloody Mary’s are packed to the hilt with flavours we like to use a vodka. If you want to go off-piste though, there are other options:

Gin – the use of gin over vodka is favoured by many as it brings a more flavour and character to the party. There are plenty of great gins for Bloody Marys – use something not too heavy on the juniper and that have some complimentary botanicals in it.

Tequila – tequila has some muscle compared to vodka and its vegetal earthiness stands out in the hullabaloo of flavour. It is a great choice actually and don’t be put off. One word of caution though, use a decent aged tequila.

What Juice Do I Use?

Use a good quality tomato juice. This is super important.

Cheap, concentrate juices are rubbish and they taste thin and bland.

So go premium.

We should mention that in Canada they use Clamato Juice (tomato juice with clam essence steeped into it) Its mega. Hats off to whoever invented that. The umami richness of Clamato Juice has given it a cult following and Bloody Mary purists swear by it.

What’s Your Flavour?

Ok. This could take a while.

Reason being is you need to imagine a Bloody Mary as a cold soup. It’s layer upon layer of flavour.

So you are only limited by your creativity.

We say that certain ingredients for a Bloody Mary are non-negotiable. They are as follows:

• Worcester Sauce
• Tabasco Sauce (or similar)
• Lemon/Lime Juice
• Salt & Pepper (seasoning your cocktail is essential to bring out the flavours)

Other ingredients that can be given the opportunity to come to the party are horseradish sauce, paprika, celery salt, balsamic vinegar, beef bouillon, cayenne pepper, Cajun seasoning, mustard, Oxford Sauce, garlic powder, onion powder…the list is infinite.

What Else Do I Need To Know?

The method for making an incredible Bloody Mary requires you to use a special technique that usually is the preserve of bartenders.

This is called rolling.

Rolling is where you pour iced ingredients from one container to another (usually from one cocktail shaker to another)

This allows you to dilute and chill the tomato liquid without getting too much air or excess dilution into the drink.

We call this agitating the liquid. It’s a super important technique as it helps to bind the ingredients without ruining the cocktail.

To roll a cocktail, add all ingredients to the container or shaker, add cubed ice and slowly pour from shaker to shaker 5 times.

Ultimate Bloody Mary Recipe

Our teams ultimate Bloody Mary Recipe. This was created for a brunch launch event for Country Life Magazine in 2019.

Ingredients

50ml Vodka
80ml Tomato Juice
5 Drops Tabasco Sauce (or to taste we usually ask how hot from 1-10 and add the required drops)
20ml Worcestershire sauce
10ml Lemon Juice
3 Pinches Celery Salt
2 Pinches Onion Salt
Pinch of Flaked Salt & Cracked Black Pepper
Celery stick and crispy bacon

Method

Combine all alcohol ingredients in an iced cocktail shaker. Roll the ingredients between two shakers. Strain into an iced Collins glass and garnish.

The Bloody Mary cocktail is super cool and everyone should have their own riff. If you want to find out more about cool cocktails, articles and recipes check out the latest on The Cocktail Hub.