What’s better than a Bloody Mary? A homemade Bloody Mary.
It doesn’t take too much effort, and let me tell you, it’s worth it. Prep it Saturday and it’ll be ready for a nice, leisurely Sunday brunch.
I like gin in my bloodies. Maybe through the course of writing this cocktail blog I’ll learn to love vodka, but at this point, I’m just not interested. In my opinion, a dash of gin gives a nice botanical flavor to a Bloody Mary.
The garnishes are just as important as what’s in the glass. I usually like a lime and a Grillo’s Pickles asparagus spear, but this week I only had hot Italian dills (which definitely did the trick).
This mix is from a Bon Appétit magazine from ages ago. It’s so old, the recipe calls for Sriracha and has to explain what it is and where to find it. Before things like Pocket existed I used to actually subscribe to cooking magazines, and clip the recipes I liked to paste in an actual notebook. I still have the notebook and refer to it often, and this is one of the recipes I keep coming back to. It was, after all, crowned Best Bloody Mary at Family Reunion 2010.
the best bloody mary (source)
makes 12 drinks
1 1/2 lb tomatoes, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 golden beet, peeled, chopped
1 small fennel bulb, chopped
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 TBSP plus 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp celery seeds
6 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1 TBSP hot sauce
1 TBSP grated fresh horseradish
2 tsp fresh pepper
1 tsp Sriracha
Place tomatoes, carrot, beet, fennel, garlic and bay leaf in a large pot. Cover with 6 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are soft, about 50 minutes.
Remove bay leaf. Add 1 TBSP salt and lemon juice. Using immersion blender, puree mixture until smooth. Cover and chill.
Grind celery seeds with remaining salt. Add with Worcestershire, hot sauce, horseradish, pepper, and Sriracha to puree. Cover and chill overnight.
To serve Bloody Marys, fill tall glasses with ice, divide mix among glasses, add vodka or gin, and garnish with lime wedges and pickles.
stirred 