Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Bloody Marys

In deciding what to bring to a brunch party, my first thought was bloody marys. I actually have a thing for bloody marys served with deviled eggs. I love those two things together, but when I mention that to other people, I always get a mixed response. Some people are in complete agreement about what a great combination that is, and the rest aren’t so sure. To play it safe, I instead brought bagels with these bloody marys to a potluck brunch party. This just happens to be my favorite way to make bloody marys, and I’ve been making them this way for about ten years. The original recipe is from Living magazine and it was also shown in a tv segment. The only change I’ve made from the original is that I add one half teaspoon of celery seed to the pitcher with the other seasonings. I also like pressing celery salt onto the rims of the glasses for these cocktails, but I skipped that this time. A celery stick garnish is a must, and I think the more the merrier when it comes to garnishing a bloody mary, so I add a lime wedge and a jalapeno-stuffed olive too.

Since this brunch was a baby shower, I made a pitcher of virgin marys and brought a bottle of vodka to be added to individual servings as desired. For one pitcher, four cups of tomato juice is combined with the juice of two lemons, Worcestershire sauce, prepared horseradish, fresh garlic passed through a press, freshly ground black pepper, pepper sauce like Tabasco or Crystal, and I add celery seed. I prefer to mix everything in a large measuring pitcher, and I whisk the ingredients together to be sure the horseradish and garlic are well mixed into the tomato juice. Then, you can either add vodka to taste before pouring the mixture into a serving pitcher, or leave the vodka bottle next to the pitcher as I did.

I think the secret ingredient here is the lemon juice. It really brightens the tomato flavor which sometimes seems dull on its own. The garlic and horseradish give it fresh, savory punch, and the hot pepper sauce can take it to whatever level of spiciness you prefer. These bloody marys were perfectly fine with onion bagels, but I’m also looking forward to the next occasion when I’ll have them with deviled eggs again. What do you think of that combination?



26 comments:

  1. Fabulous Bloody Marys! An old classic turned modern!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. They were delish and I think they sound great with deviled eggs!

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  3. Living in Canada we are more likely to have a Caesar than a Bloody Mary but how delicious is that!!

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  4. What delicious drink Lisa. I always have this each I fly, it really help me with my uneasy feeling on an airplane.

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  5. Lisa ... there is no bad companion to a good Bloody Mary. My secret ingredient is a tsp. of dill pickle juice. Makes a big difference. Also like the idea of letting everyone mix their own alcohol into the drink......and would have included a good tequila. I prefer Bloody Marias to Marys. Steve

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  6. In the cookbook, Nuevo Tex-Mex, the recipe for a Bloody Maria calls for "your favorite breakfast tequila." That's possibly my favorite line ever from a cookbook.

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  7. I personally think its hard to go wrong with bloody mary's and deviled eggs are indeed a perfect combo in my book. Your version sounds stunning. Can't wait to try.

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  8. I finally discovered Bloody Marys this summer. Can you believe I had never had one before? My life is changed forever...and definitely in a good way. Yum. I can't wait to whip these babies up!

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  9. looks so refreshing and pretty. love the olive, celery and lime garnish :)

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  10. Ummm...cannot go wrong with a bloody mary. They are too often overshadowed by other drinks at brunch, and this one looks like a winner! Luv the fresh ingredients - we have come a long way from bottled mixes! Kinda feel like having one...

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  11. Wooo! These are for the strong and mighty. :) There was a guy who made his with pepper vodka then added in more pepper. So spicy!

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  12. Looks sooo inviting and refreshing. Love it. My fav drink.

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  13. I have never thought to have bloody mary's and deviled eggs together. But somehow that sounds really good! I'd have them with ya, haha!

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  14. Nothing better! And...I love deviled eggs!

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  15. Mmm yum! I like the addition of garlic and horseradish. Mine now seem very boring in comparison! :P

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  16. I love this!
    Denise is holding a contest here, if you are lucky, then her cookbook will be yours!
    http://quickiesonthedinnertable.yolasite.com/recipes/quickies-morning-noon-night-cocktail-challenge

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  17. A fabulous version of Bloody Mary's!

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  18. I love Bloody Mary's though I don't have them that often...however, we always have them Thanksgiving Day - the boys make them before the football game and after they make a mess doing that they scurry out of the kitchen and the girls are left getting drunk too, but doing something way more fun (cooking!) than watching the game. Love the lime garnish...will definitely be adding that to the mix this year.

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  19. i've never had a bloody mary! however, i'm definitely intrigued by the idea of pepper in a beverage--how oddly awesome.

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  20. Its been ages since I've had a B.M., they are just the thing though for brunch or a gals get together like a baby shower too.

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  21. Bloody Mary used to be "my" cocktail. I would always order them in a bar and not just at brunch time! I liked having a little snack before dinner and especially loved the ones that included olives and celery. Once I learned that Worcestershire sauce is not vegetarian, I stopped ordering them. But that doesn't stop me from making them at home! Thanks for the reminder about how much I miss this drink.

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  22. I think deviled eggs with Bloody Marys is a fine combo. I wish I had some in front of me right now, in fact! ;)

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  23. I love the idea of bloody marys w/ deviled eggs! What's not to love? Savory, creamy, salty - Yumm.

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  24. I want a bloody mary and a deviled egg now, and the Bar Gilly in Florence makes both perfectly!

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  25. I would absolutely drink bloody mary's and eat deviled eggs with you. That combination makes perfect sense to me. The only problem I find with deviled eggs is that I can never make enough of them, people just scarf them down. Hmm, maybe you should make a deviled egg with the flavors of bloody mary in the yolk mixture!

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