# Bloody Mary Mix...what's in the paste? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 22, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bloody-mary-mix-whats-in-the-paste/551087 "2010-08-22T19:48:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bloody-mary-mix-whats-in-the-paste/551087/1 "2010-08-22T19:48:28Z")
I’ve worked a lot of restaurants, and have had some damn fine bloody marys from them. The ones that were the best always had their own mix, but it wasn’t really liquid. It was a brown paste added to whatever else, and it had most of the spices in it. I am just not sure exactly what would be IN there to get it to a paste form. My thinking is ground spices as desired, mixed with just enough worcestshire to make it pasty. Does that sound good to anyone else, or is there a secret bar mix I’m unaware of? (I’ve worked a lot of restaurants and bars, but never fully bartended myself) Just wondering, 'cause I’d like to experiment with my own, and am just checking if the paste thing sounds familiar to anyone else. 'cause boy, do I love experimenting with bloody marys!! ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bloody-mary-mix-whats-in-the-paste/551087/2 "2010-08-23T20:06:36Z")
I highly suspect the paste-like characteristic is based on the horseradish that is an important part of any good Bloody Mary. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bloody-mary-mix-whats-in-the-paste/551087/3 "2010-08-23T20:16:21Z")
I bartended for a long time and I’ve never heard of it. My recipe for bloody marys has always been vodka, V8 juice, celery salt, ground black pepper, horseradish, squeeze of lime, worcestershire and a dollop of hot sauce if the customer wants it fiery. Celery stalk available upon request! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Shark\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Shark\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bloody-mary-mix-whats-in-the-paste/551087/4 "2010-08-23T20:54:54Z")
I tended bar for a couple of years in my college days, and I’ve never seen a paste. FWIW - My favorite Bloody Mary mix is [Zing Zang](http://zingzangcom.easystorecreator.com/), but if you there’s one thing them Canadians do right, it’s the [Bloody Caesar.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesar_(cocktail)) If you have one of them, you’ll never go back to Bloody Marys. TRUST me. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bloody-mary-mix-whats-in-the-paste/551087/5 "2010-08-24T00:36:26Z")
Another great Bloody Mary mix to use, if the ones **Shark Sandwich** pointed out don’t work for you, is Major Peters. Thick and spicy, it’s the best I’ve ever had. And I’m a Bloody Mary freak. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bloody-mary-mix-whats-in-the-paste/551087/6 "2010-08-24T01:15:56Z")
When restaurants use powdered and bottled mixes for drinks it’s because they’re quick and easy, not because they’re good. The paste described by the OP may have been the restaurant’s _own_ base, made from fresh ingredients earlier in the day, not the kind of stuff sold in supermarkets. You can certainly do better than those for yourself at home. I usually use tomato juice (not V8), fresh-squeezed lemon juice, fresh-ground black pepper, whole celery seed, Worcestershire, arbol and pequin pepper sauce. It helps to use a real shaker and strainer. My last experiments concluded with, > [@What's for dinner tonight?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-for-dinner-tonight/549412/68): > > An enormous Bloody Mary with, essentially, skewers of antipasto in it: Greek and Spanish olives, pickled red pepper, marinated mushrooms and artichoke hearts, rolled sopressata and provolone. And a celery rib. And a squeeze of lime over the top of the full assembly. The provolone was unnecessary and didn’t add much, but the rest of it was _really_ great. I didn’t use horseradish that time, but if I can pick up a fresh root I’ll grate some next time.