Reading the horseradish thread got me thinking about Bloody Marys. I looooove Bloody Marys, and so does my wife.
Ours:
Fill a pint beer glass with ice. Add 2 oz. Polish vodka, copious amounts of Worchestershire and Tabasco, a dollop of grated horseradish, a squeeze of lime juice, two twists from the pepper mill, a dash of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt, and fill with tomato juice. Stir and enjoy. (Celery sticks are verboten. If you want a salad, eat one! 
)
How do you make yours?
I’m afraid I cheat.
Ice, A-1 Steak sauce, Grey Goose Vodka, Mr. T’s
Bold and spicy bloody mary mix.
I’ve made them by hand before, this is good enough to handle the Bloody Jonez
Several oz. of good vodka, some ground black pepper, a bit of celery salt, dash or two of garlic powder, fill with V-8, add a few shakes of Tabasco hot sauce, and a few of Worcestershire sauce.
If there is any justified use for cheap vodka in this world, it is the Bloody Mary. I don’t think one person in 100 could identify Smirnoff from Grey Goose when loaded up with tabasco, worstershire, and tomato juice.
Mine contains ice, Clamato, vodka, celery salt, tobasco, ground black pepper, worstershire, and horseradish. Garnish with a celery stalk (leaves attached). Something crunchy just goes well with a drink like that.
Bloody Mary’s are the nastiest drink in all of creation. I’ll drink Prestone first.
You beat me to it.
Back when i was tending bar, i actually did this little experiment using four different types of vodka. Tried it on myself, and on four colleagues, including one who was a complete vodka snob, and he couldn’t pick the good from the bad.
This should, of course, read “none of us could pick the good vodka from the bad.”
Actually Smirnoff is quite tasty vodka. It just isn’t an overpriced one.
You should repeat this experiment with Popov or Vladimir. I think you might detect a difference then.
As a bartender who is
a.) known for her tasty Bloody Marys, and
b.) has never even tasted one, because
c.) she hates tomato juice…
I will give ya the recipe I serve my regulars. I can’t swear by it, b/c like I said I cannot stand tomato juice so I’ve never tried it myself, but my regulars love it.
*2 oz vodka. (Nobody really cares what kind. I dare ya to tell.)
5/6 dashes Tabasco
3/4 dashes Worcestershire
6/7 hefty lime and lemon squeezes
Dash celery salt
Heavy dash pepper
Dash olive juice*
Fill with either V-8 or Campbell’s Tomato Juice. (If using regular tomato juice and not Bloody Mary mix or V-8, a dash more of the above list is recommended.)
I serve this with a salted rim, another squeezed lime, several green olives and a celery stalk. (The bar I currently work at also offers spicy Cajun canned green beans, which the regulars adore and request.)
Like I said, I will not personally swear by it because I’ve never tasted it, but Audrey’s Regulars seem to thirst for it.
Let me backpedal/clarify. I’m using Grey Goose because a)It’s on hand, and b)Bloody Marys are so infrequent that the bottle is from Much Happier Times. 
Perhaps I need to start a new thread: Just what do you DO with good Vodka?
As a former bartender that worked every 2-for-1 Bloody Mary Sunday for 3.5 years, I will share my recipe.
Fill a pint glass with ice
2 oz Absolut Peppar
2 oz A-1 steak sauce
1 dollop horseradish
2 shakes of Mrs. Dash
2 dashes Chipotle tabasco
Fill with V-8
Pour into a different pint glass with a celery salted-rim and garnish with picked aspargus
I don’t make Bloody Maries, but I’ve drunk quite a few in my life, so I can describe to you how I want my Bloody Mary to taste.
It’s got to be very tomatoey. Must have a little bit of bite, but not be super spicy. Must contain horseradish, otherwise it doesn’t have that “shrimp-cocktail-in-a-glass-minus-the-shrimp” effect. It should have enough vodka in it to give me a slight “glow” but not get me tipsy. I like it when you can taste a little black pepper.
That follows a normal English pluralization pattern but just doesn’t look right, does it?
Steak sauce in a drink? :eek:
I’ve had them that way before…not bad, actually.
The only reason I use Polish vodka is that is what is in the liquor cabinet. I usually get a bottle or two for free each year, so I use what I have. Rememer: the best booze is free booze!