Whether you love a Bloody Mary for the vodka or the garnishes, a good homemade base sets the great drinks apart from the mediocre ones. Making your own at home is quite easy for individual cocktail servings or for a group. The real fun comes with what you want to put in the glass along with the drink: anything from celery to skewers of pickles, olives and even shrimp.
I geek out on building layers of flavors into this cocktail. Like most Bloody Mary recipes, this one starts with tomato and citrus juices, umami-rich Worcestershire and zippy horseradish. Once you’ve got the basics down, you can take things in any direction you want. For instance, I like to use the juice of grilled homegrown tomatoes, a few dashes of home-fermented hot sauce, and homemade pickles and garden-fresh herbs for garnish.
Do I go over the top with my Bloody Marys? Maybe. But I break all the rules: I drink them as the sun goes down, serve short pours in a wine glass, mix them with rum when I run out of vodka, and enjoy the taste so much that I sometimes skip the alcohol altogether. Even if you tend to stick to classic cocktail recipes, this meal-in-a-glass deserves a place in your repertoire.
Why is it called a “Bloody Mary”?
The stories behind the naming of this century-old cocktail vary, but most point to its tomato base as the inspiration for the first word and a woman named Mary as the second. That woman may have been Queen Mary Tudor of England, unofficially dubbed Queen “Bloody” Mary for her religion-driven executions. Or she may have been a bar employee or patron, with locale claims scattered from Palm Beach to Chicago, New York and Paris.
Most stories of where the drink was born point to Fernand “Pete” Petiot. Petiot got his start at the famed Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, and he became one of New York City’s most popular bartenders by his retirement. As the legends go, Petiot began spicing up the tomato juice cocktail and sent it down an evolutionary road that it still travels today.
Bloody Mary Ingredients
- Vodka: Use the best vodka you can buy for this intensely flavored cocktail, but no need to use top-shelf stuff. Russian emigrants likely provided the vodka for the first Bloody Marys, so consider mixing in Stolichnaya. Some of my other affordable favorites include Luksusowa, an award-winning vodka from one of Poland’s oldest producers, or Tito’s, made in Texas from yellow corn.
- Tomato juice: Tomato juice provides body and a balance of acidity and sweetness. A classic Bloody Mary uses pure tomato juice. A preseasoned Bloody Mary mix would be overpowering in this recipe.
- Other juices: Lemon and lime juice add bright, fresh citrus notes to this drink. Bottled juice does the job, but squeeze in fresh juice instead if you’re slicing fresh fruit for garnish.
- Celery salt: Celery salt is made by grinding salt and celery seeds until fine. This flavored salt adds a classic taste to the drink while making an intense rimming salt for the glass.
- Worcestershire sauce: Likely one of the earliest Bloody Mary upgrades, a little of this fermented sauce adds a punch of umami. Worcestershire sauce traditionally contains anchovies, although vegan variations have become more common.
- Pepper: A little pepper goes a long way in a Bloody Mary. Freshly ground peppercorns have a more complex flavor than preground black pepper.
- Hot sauce: You can choose the profile and spiciness of this recipe with your favorite hot sauce.
- Horseradish: This secret ingredient makes a stellar Bloody Mary. Prepared horseradish has simply been grated and submerged in vinegar, perhaps with some sugar and salt for balance.
- Optional garnishes: Celery rib, pickle spear, green and ripe olives, cucumber slice and/or cocktail shrimp are only the beginning.
Directions
Step 1: Prepare the glass
Using water, moisten the full rim of a highball glass. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon celery salt on a small plate; turn the glass upside down and, while gently rotating it at an angle, dip the rim in the salt. Discard the remaining celery salt on the plate.
Step 2: Divide the ice
Fill a cocktail shaker three-fourths full with ice. Place the remaining ice in the prepared glass.
Step 3: Mix the cocktail
Add the vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish if desired, pepper, remaining celery salt and hot sauce to the shaker. Cover and shake until condensation forms on the shaker’s exterior, 10 to 15 seconds. Strain into the prepared glass, and garnish as desired.
Editor’s Tip: Shaking a Bloody Mary too vigorously can quickly melt the ice, dilute the tomato juice, and thin the drink. Stop shaking as soon as the outside of the shaker gets damp.
Bloody Mary Garnishes
- Fresh vegetables: A stalk of celery is a classic garnish, but other crisp vegetables work too, like scallions and carrot sticks. Cut them long enough to poke out the top of the glass. Slit a slice of cucumber or radish so that you can balance it on the glass rim.
- Mini kebabs: Thread small garnishes onto a short skewer or toothpick so they’re easy to nibble. Options include green or Kalamata olives, pickled pearl onions or garlic cloves, pepperoncini, cheese cubes and shrimp cocktail.
- Pickles: Move beyond a dill pickle spear to other vegetables, like pickled or fermented green beans or asparagus. Long garlic scapes, harvested while tender and refrigerated in their brine for at least a week before use, make sturdy edible swizzle sticks.
- Pretty garnishes: Some garnishes are as much for looks as for flavor, like a spiral of lime or lemon rind that perches on the glass rim. Let a long sprig of a fresh herb, like mint or basil, spread its leaves above the cocktail. Float edible flowers on the drink’s surface. Try the slightly spicy nasturtium.
Recipe Variations
- Use flavored vodka: Buy a bottle infused with savory ingredients, like peppers, ginger or pickles, or infuse vodka at home. Vodka infused with horseradish can replace the prepared condiment, which tends to stay chunky, and a peppercorn infusion adds complex spiciness.
- Use different spirits: Tomato juice plays so well with other spirits that many combinations have their own names. Swap in blanco tequila for a Bloody Maria, light white rum for a Cubanita or gin for a Red Snapper. For a Virgin Mary, simply leave out the alcohol.
- Add other juices: If the tomato taste seems overpowering, try blending in other juices to round it out. Beet or carrot juice adds earthy yet sweet notes, and celery juice brings that flavor forward. If you make cold-pressed juice, add a vegetable blend. Or start with a batch of homemade spicy tomato juice; for the most intense flavor, try roasting or grilling the vegetables.
- Add extras: A splash of pickled juice or olive brine adds tanginess in the same way it makes a vodka martini dirty. A little clam juice turns the drink into a Caesar. With some beef broth mixed in, it becomes a Bloody Bull.
How do you make Bloody Marys for a group?
For a four-serving batch, you’ll need 1 cup vodka, 4 cups tomato juice, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish if desired, 1/2 teaspoon celery salt (plus more for the glass rims when serving), 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce.
For a group, mix all ingredients in a 2-quart or larger pitcher, and stir until combined. Alternatively, pour everything into a half-gallon or larger jar, seal it with its lid, and shake gently. If you are serving the mix immediately, chill it by adding just 1 cup ice to the pitcher; put more ice in each glass.
How to Store Blood Marys
This Bloody Mary recipe makes one cocktail at a time, but if you mix up a larger batch, you may want to store the extra. Without the vodka, it will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about four days. Mixing in the vodka may make the batch last longer, but the flavor will lose its freshness the longer it sits. Ice will dilute the batch as it melts, so leave it out until just before serving.
Bloody Mary Tips
What kind of glass should you use to serve a Bloody Mary?
Various types of cocktail glasses can be used to serve this Bloody Mary recipe. You just need one that can hold 11 ounces liquid plus ice. Highball glasses, with their tall, straight sides, keep Bloody Mary garnishes upright yet give you room to sip. A taller Collins glass might be ideal if you have just one or two extra-long, straight garnishes. With its flared mouth, a pint glass works especially well if you’re propping several garnishes on the rim.
How do you set up a Bloody Mary bar?
A Bloody Mary bar is really all about the garnish spread. Buffet-style works well for a party. Premix the cocktail, minimize the spiciness, and keep it chilled until guests can add ice and alcohol as desired. Consider offering a range of flavored vodkas or spirits and hot sauce options. Starting at one end of the table, lay out everything people need as they work their way from salting, icing and pouring to garnishing.
For a smaller seated gathering, mix everything—including the vodka—to minimize table clutter. Consider pre-salting the glass rims. Set a garnish tray in the center of the table with items that can be used as garnish or simply eaten as snacks.
What else can you serve with a Bloody Mary?
A Bloody Mary can be enjoyed anytime—yes, even in the evening—but it’s best known as a morning-after beverage alongside Sunday brunch recipes. For a party, you might prefer a collection of tapas recipes. Finger foods that pair well with this Bloody Mary recipe include million-dollar deviled eggs and homemade mozzarella sticks. You might want a fork for stuffed mushrooms, and you’ll certainly want napkins if you serve shrimp tostadas. Or keep it basic by mixing up simple guacamole and tearing open a bag of tortilla chips.
