Name: Classic Bloody Mary's
Prep time: 35 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 2 cups tomato juice; 1 Tablespoon lemon juice; 2 Tablespoon lime juice; 1 Tablespoon pickle juice; 2 1/2 ounces Vodka (optional); 2 teaspoons Prepared Horseradish; 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; 2-3 drops Sriracha sauce; freshly ground pepper; Pickles; Celery Stalks; Cheese Cubes ((Pepper jack, white cheddar, Monterey Jack)); Pepperoni Slices; Lemon wedges; Lime Wedges; Celery Seed

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Classic Bloody Mary’s

a classic cocktail to serve with your favorite brunch menu or with a snack at happy hour!

Hello, friends!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

To celebrate we’re sharing one of our favorite cocktails and saying “CHEERS” to all things Irish!

Of course, there is really is nothing ‘Irish’ about a ClassicBloody Mary cocktail, unless maybe all the green garnishes that we fill our glasses with. (We’ll get to that in a bit).

But that didn’t stop me from trying this cocktail YEARS ago for the very first time. And wouldn’t you know it? It just happened to be at an Irish Pub and on St. Patrick’s day!

Ever since then I always try and make a batch right around this holiday. Sometimes with and sometimes without the booze! But ALWAYS with the yummies that fill the glass.

About those yummies…

When that bartender set the drink down in front of me all those years ago, my eyeballs literally bugged out at the ENORMOUS feast stacked inside the cocktail glass!

There were two skewers. One had plump little shrimp and the other had olives, pepper jack cheese, and pepperonis. On top of all that she had stuffed a celery stalk and a gigantic dill pickle!

The glass was so full of food that I wasn’t sure I’d EVER get to the cocktail. But I finally did. And it was SO worth the wait! The flavors literally bounced around my tongue and the wee bit of spiciness made me glad I’d saved the celery stalk to munch on.

A few years ago, Michael and stopped into that same pub for lunch. Believe it or not, those Bloody Mary’s were now one of their most popular cocktails. (Gee, I wonder why?)

Unfortunately, we haven’t been back since the pandemic hit, so I decided a few months ago to create my very own Bloody Mary cocktails.

The result? Well, I have to say, I don’t think I’ll be going back to the pub…EVER! LOL! Yes, it’s THAT good!

As for the yummies? I prefer the plethora of flavors in the cocktail and I add just a few favorites to nibble on. But the options are truly endless!

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what you’ll need:

Ingredients:

Tomato Juice -I like to use homemade but if I don’t have it on hand I use premium juices like Sacramento and R.W. Knudsen which taste amazing! I’ve even used Campbell’s and it’s actually quite good too!
Lemon juice
Lime Juice
Worcestershire sauce
Prepared Horseradish
Pickle juice
Celery Seed (not salt)
Ground Black Pepper
Sriracha ( or any hot sauce like Tabasco)
Vodka (optional)

treats you can add to the cocktail:

Cold Shrimp
Pepperoni Slices
Your favorite cheese (cubed)
Olives
Pickles
Cucumber Slices
Celery Sticks
Radishes
Lemon and Lime Slices
Pickled Veggies
Asparagus
Bacon (yes, you read that right!)

Or basically anything that can be put on a skewer, LOL!

how to make the cocktail:

This recipe makes enough for 2 servings so I serve straight from the shaker to glass. You could also increase the ingredients and make a big batch in a cold pitcher for more servings.

I like to place my glasses in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to mixing the cocktails.
While the glasses are chilling I gather my garnishes together. I normally use: 1 celery stalk + 1 Kosher dill pickle. Then I add some olives, pepperoni, and cheese cubes to a skewer.
When the glasses are chilled I take a lime wedge and rub the rim of the glasses with it.
Next, I dip the rim into a dish that I’ve filled with celery seed. Again, celery seed, not salt. There’s a huge difference… trust me!
Finally, I add a few ice cubes to my shaker, along with my Bloody Mary ingredients, and shake until well mixed. Then I pour the contents into my chilled glass and serve with the garnishes!

This cocktail is SO refreshing and honestly, with all that flavor you don’t even need the alcohol. But hey, it’s a holiday, so why not?

These Classic Bloody Mary’s are perfect for weekend brunches. Again, you can serve the non-alcoholic version too and they go SUPER well with scrambled eggs or egg bakes!

I also love to serve them during the summer months when we are outdoors grilling. I’m not sure if everyone does this, but here in the Midwest, we often serve these Bloody Mary’s with a beer chaser. It’s usually just a shot glass or small glass filled with a light beer. It’s supposed to help cut the ‘heat’ since many recipes are a bit on the spicy side.

Ours has a little zip but it’s definitely not overpowering!

Here’s the full recipe!