We’re having a small brunch on Sunday. I’m planning on making a pitcher of bloody mary mix the night before.
How long can I leave the pitcher sitting out at the drink station after taking it out of the fridge?
It’s a basic recipe - tomato juice, worcestershire, lemon juice, hot sauce, and black pepper. We don’t exactly have room to keep it in a bucket of ice for the duration.
Nothing really hazardous in the recipe, and I imagine the Worcestershire and lemon juice will act as a preserve.
I wouldn’t worry about it sitting out all day.
Tomato juice is pretty acid, and the lemon juice will make it more so. That should limit bacterial growth.
This site says that leaving tomato juice out of the fridge for more than two hours can “lead to spoilage.” That doesn’t mean it will be dangerous, just that it might get sour.
Assuming “brunch” doesn’t last more than a few hours, there shouldn’t be a problem.
Of course, if you have some serious drinkers in the party it won’t last long enough to become an issue.
My drink of choice is the Caesar, which uses clamato instead of tomato juice and I would think clam juice would be much more sensitive to spoilage. For convenience I buy it as a premix in cans that also includes the vodka, which may help preservation. In any case, I keep unopened cans at room temperature, and when opened, I may only have half and let it sit for hours before having the rest or covering it with plastic wrap and putting it in the fridge. FTR, have not had any problem with spoilage.