I knew it would come down to this, eventually. I knew that there would come a weekend where the indulgence and debauchery would not be enough to send me spinning into the next day looking for that elixir of life, known as the bloody mary. This was such a weekend, friends. Which is not to say I didn’t drink. Perish the thought! I did, just not to excess. Though, there may be photographic evidence to the contrary.
However, I couldn’t just let this Monday go without some discussion of my favorite hangover “cure.” So, I will do what any lazy ingenious drunkard does when he runs out of things to talk about: I will ask questions…
I am curious, dear Blogtownies, about your absolute requirements of a bloody mary—aside from vodka and tomato juice? Do you insist on a mule-kick of horseradish (ha!)? Do you crave the flavor of Worcestershire? Do you request the presence of a certain garnish? Is there some secret ingredient that gives your bloody mary its magic potency?
I’ll start it off. What I need in my day-after libation is a fine balance between salt, heat, and tang. This means sea salt, Tabasco, cayenne, black pepper, and my wife Kitty’s (no longer) secret ingredient: pickle juice. The proportions are the key.
Now, how about you? (And let’s try to stay on topic this time, hmm?)
Bacon as the swizzle stick.
It has to be crispy bacon.
MOST IMPORTANT RULE FOR A BLOODY MARY:
SERVE IT IN A MOTHERFUCKING PINT GLASS.
None of those children’s cocktails, please; I prefer grown-up size drinks.
The Tin Shed has a pretty awesome one. My secret ingredient – Japanese seasoned sushi vinegar.
Pepper vodka.
Nothing much to say here: hot things are bad for a hungover tummy, so I always say that I don’t want it hot at all, but I must have it Salty.
substitute the juice from a jar of your favorite hot peppers instead of the pickle juice. This also makes a great dirty martini if you use it in place of olive juice!
First off, use V-8 instead of straight tomato juice. That’s the key.
My bloody mary (I almost shorted it to “BM”, but thought better of it) is pretty traditional, apart from the juice. I use Worcestershire, celery salt, Lawry’s seasoned salt, Tabasco, fresh-ground black pepper, and a dash of lemon juice. And I usually use a really mild, mixer-friendly vodka like Skyy. I’ve also substituted fresh jalapeño juice for Tabasco on occasion. I highly recommend it.
Oh, and use a shaker.
Y’arr. Rum, neat, that be t’ drink o’ a man, y’arr.
Float a tablespoon of your favorite balsamic vinegar on top of the bloody mary. YUM. Although, the Japanese sushi vinegar mentioned above also sounds good.