A bloody mary, at its essence, is built of tomato juice and vodka. Add in some citrus or spices or garnishes, sure, but that’s the core of the drink. Yet, its variations may include just one of those two seemingly mandatory ingredients, or neither, and these drinks are often further embellished by all sorts of add-ons, twists and turns.
The ubiquitous brunch or hair of the dog concoction has spawned countless riffs, many of which have been indoctrinated as more or less official variants. Some feature slight divergences from the bloody mary, others seemingly took the idea and ran with the wind.
“One great thing about the bloody mary, in particular, is that the bartender can always claim that however he or she makes them is how the locals like it,” says spirits and cocktail writer Robert Haynes-Peterson. He jokes that it’s a “genius” way of excusing a poorly made variation — “you can just claim it’s a local favorite and move on.”
The same idea, though, also highlights one of the drink’s most intriguing components, or, truly, what is a category of drinks — that different regions and even cultures can create their own variations, marked by local influences and ingredients. In Maryland, a bloody mary with Old Bay seasoning is never far from hand’s reach. Visit New Mexico and no doubt hatch chilies will be incorporated.
What Inspired Queen ‘Bloody’ Mary’s Gruesome Nickname?
Who is Bloody Mary? From Queen Mary I of England (pictured) to the American “witch” Mary Worth, the real origins of the murderous spirit known as Bloody Mary have long been hotly debated.
As the legend goes, Bloody Mary is easy to summon. All you have to do is stand in a dark bathroom, light a single candle, stare into the mirror, and chant her name. Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary.
Some believe that the Bloody Mary legend is directly tied to the queen who bore the nickname. Queen Mary I of England became known as Bloody Mary because she burned hundreds of Protestants alive during her reign.
Ingredients: vodka 45ml, tomato juice 20ml, black pepper powder, dried chili powder, a little chili oil, 1 slice of half-moon lemon and 1 celery root.
Tools: spoons and cocktail glasses.
Directions:
1. Rub lemon or lime around rim of glass and then put the rim in margarita salt or Tony Chachers, if desired.
2. Add ice to glass. Mix Vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt, Pepper, celery salt and horseradish (if using) and pour in glass.
3. Garnish with lemon or lime wedge, celery stalk, green onion or pickled green bean.
A Bloody Mary is easy to make from scratch with vodka, tomato juice, and a few other simple ingredients. The spicy, salty, and savory taste of this classic cocktail makes it perfect for brunch or other afternoon gatherings. Here are some recommendations of vodka from Liquor Town.
1. Tito’s Vodka：Tito’s Vodka hails from Texas’ first and oldest legal distillery in Austin. The brainchild of former geologist Tito Beveridge, this is six times distilled.
2. Grey Goose：Grey Goose Vodka highlights a clear and fresh nose with an elegant floral aroma accented by a subtle citrus note. Initially soft palate with a gentle sweetness that gradually envelops the mouth – smooth and rounded texture with a hint of almond. Fresh and bright throughout with a long, satisfying finish.
3. Finlandia：Finlandia is a vodka produced in Finland from Finnish-grown six-row barley and glacial spring water. The barley is distilled into a neutral spirit using a continuous multi-pressure distillation system at a distillery in the village of Koskenkorva operated by Finland’s Altia Corporation. 200 steps in the end-to-end distillation process and about 50 hours from grain to vodka. The 96.5% abv distillate is then diluted with pure glacial water to make the final product. No deionization, osmosis treatment or other artificial purification is used.
4. Absolut Vodka：Absolut Vodka was created in 1879 by Lars Olsson Smith, a Swedish entrepreneur who was known as “The Vodka King” for his innovative distillation process. Fast forward about a hundred years and it’s introduced to the global market, becomes one of the top-selling brands in the world, and moves over 100,000,000 litres all from the tiny community of Åhus; A village in southern Sweden with a population of only 9,423. Don’t worry I’ve never heard of it either. Let’s put it this way, every region has it’s drink, and so for Tequila it’s Tequila Mexico, for Champagne it’s Champagne France, and for Absolut Vodka it’s Åhus.
5. Smirnoff Vodka：Smirnoff is made from neutral grain spirit, that is rectified in a process that takes 24 hours. It’s then blended with demineralised water to bring it down to 57% ABV. It’s them filtered through 7 columns of activated charcoal (each with about 1000kgs of charcoal, another process that takes 8 hours) before it’s reduced to a bottling strength of 40%, with more demineralised water.
6. Reid Single Malt Vodka：What happens when you create a vodka, from the same quality ingredients that go into a better single malts, and instead of striving for a neutral spirit, you allow some of the complexities and characteristics from the barley come through. Distill it 7 times to give it a smooth finish, and then bottle it. You get The Reid vodka – something that will blow the minds of even the experienced vodka drinkers, and will draw non-vodka drinkers into the world of artisanal vodka.
7. Ketel One Vodka：When it comes to premium vodka including Ketel One Vodka, there are very few in the special zone of being damn good, and affordable. Ketel One Vodka is definitely in that special zone, and was defining the term “premium vodka” when Grey Goose was nothing more than a fat man’s wet dream, get rich quick scheme.
8. SKYY Vodka：This is one of the most common house pour vodkas in the bar trade and has been for at least a decade. It looks a bit dated and isn’t considered as “cool” as other vodkas, but it’s a good, solid vodka and justifies its presence in any bar.
