# What makes for great bloody mary? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 24, 2012, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-for-great-bloody-mary/619795 "2012-04-24T11:02:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-for-great-bloody-mary/619795/1 "2012-04-24T11:02:45Z")
I want to like them, but I’ve had too many lackluster ones, and I end up opting for screwdrivers. This excerpt from a Tribune [letter](http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-08-18/features/ct-dining-0818-bloody-marys-20110818_1_bloody-mary-bloody-battle-worcestershire-sauce-and-horseradish) captures my experiences well: > [@](#): > > Give me a well balanced cocktail, not just a bloody mary — one capable of weighing citrus against spice, sweet against bite, all of it preferably steeped in gin and garnished with care — and I might venture beyond that first gag-inducing sip. > > There are good drink-makers in this town; surely there are good bloody marys. Try and try again, past run-ins with watered-down alcoholic tomato paste have left me woozy and worse for wear, occasionally so bad that even mimosas can’t mend. But for you, Chris, I’ll get back on that horse, so long as the horseradish is balanced accordingly. Any great recipes? Preferable for pitchers, not individual drinks. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-for-great-bloody-mary/619795/2 "2012-04-24T11:23:22Z")
Vodka, a very little vermouth, no tomato juice, hold the herbs and spices, maybe add a lemon twist. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-for-great-bloody-mary/619795/3 "2012-04-24T11:45:42Z")
Start with good quality tomato juice, not the pre-mix bloody mary stuff in a bottle. Don’t get too heavy-handed with the tobasco and worcestershire sauces. A little fresh ground black pepper is good if you have it. Use a lime wedge in preference to lemon. I advise completely foregoing the celery sticks, green onions, olives and other salad that bartenders have been shoving in the glass lately. It’s supposed to be a cocktail, not a high fiber meal replacement. Vodka, gin, or tequila can all be used depending on your personal taste in liquor. Don’t pour that too heavy, either. When all is said and done, you should be able to taste the tomato, the liquor, the lime, and the seasonings…basically in that order. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-for-great-bloody-mary/619795/4 "2012-04-24T12:26:25Z")
If you can’t see through it, you didn’t make it right. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-for-great-bloody-mary/619795/5 "2012-04-24T13:20:05Z")
I took a sip of one that was very dark and dense in a tall narrow glass. Made with vodka, a dash of tabasco and A-1, very strong! A Bloody Mary is not to my taste, but I could tell it was excellent in its own way. ( It came with a lime wedge and a skewer of a giant green pimento olive, a slice of pepperoni, and two red onion rings! Looked very pretty, but seems wasteful.) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-for-great-bloody-mary/619795/6 "2012-04-24T13:35:45Z")
Use clamato juice and call it a bloody ceasar. 🙂 I haven’t drank alcohol for ages now, and that is one of the few drinks I miss. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-for-great-bloody-mary/619795/7 "2012-04-24T13:48:24Z")
My personal recipe, which most assuredly isn’t to everyone’s tastes: V-8 juice vodka heavy on the Lea & Perrins Crystal Sauce to taste dollop prepared horseradish freshly ground pepper dash celery salt squeeze of lime Keep everything including the glasses ice cold, and don’t serve in such a large glass that it can get warm before you get it drunk. No vegetation allowed other than a couple of jalapeno-stuffed green olives on a swizzle stick. Clamato juice is an abomination in the eyes of Nuggan, and anyone who sullies the earth with such a heresy shall be cast into the Eternal Icebox (otherwise known as Canada). ---
**Author:** ![iftheresaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecae2f/32.png) [@iftheresaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iftheresaway)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-for-great-bloody-mary/619795/8 "2012-04-24T13:55:57Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > My personal recipe, which most assuredly isn’t to everyone’s tastes: > > V-8 juice > vodka > heavy on the Lea & Perrins > Crystal Sauce to taste > dollop prepared horseradish > freshly ground pepper > dash celery salt > squeeze of lime > > Keep everything including the glasses ice cold, and don’t serve in such a large glass that it can get warm before you get it drunk. No vegetation allowed other than a couple of jalapeno-stuffed green olives on a swizzle stick. Clamato juice is an abomination in the eyes of Nuggan, and anyone who sullies the earth with such a heresy shall be cast into the Eternal Icebox (otherwise known as Canada). My recipe involves a complicated process known as “asking my husband to make me one”, but if you can’t find him this recipe would do in a pinch. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-for-great-bloody-mary/619795/9 "2012-04-24T13:58:12Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > My personal recipe, which most assuredly isn’t to everyone’s tastes: > > V-8 juice > vodka > heavy on the Lea & Perrins > Crystal Sauce to taste > dollop prepared horseradish > freshly ground pepper > dash celery salt > squeeze of lime > > Keep everything including the glasses ice cold, and don’t serve in such a large glass that it can get warm before you get it drunk. No vegetation allowed other than a couple of jalapeno-stuffed green olives on a swizzle stick. Clamato juice is an abomination in the eyes of Nuggan, and anyone who sullies the earth with such a heresy shall be cast into the Eternal Icebox (otherwise known as Canada). Dood, why don’t you just stir a big spoonful of cocktail sauce into a glass of iced vodka? ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-for-great-bloody-mary/619795/10 "2012-04-24T14:04:56Z")
Instead of the celery. I like to coat the rim of the glass with celery salt. ---
**Author:** ![Jasper\_Kent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@Jasper\_Kent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasper_Kent)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-for-great-bloody-mary/619795/11 "2012-04-24T14:13:40Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > My personal recipe, which most assuredly isn’t to everyone’s tastes: > > V-8 juice > vodka > heavy on the Lea & Perrins > Crystal Sauce to taste > dollop prepared horseradish > freshly ground pepper > dash celery salt > squeeze of lime This sounds good to me; it’s very close to what I’d make for myself. I’m not familiar with Crystal Sauce, but I love any hot sauce. I prefer the V-8 juice, too, but any good quality tomato juice will do. Avoid “pre-mixes” like the plague! That’s really true for any drink. A strong, spicy Bloody is the best hangover cure on earth! In fact, it will probably cure about anything that ails you. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-for-great-bloody-mary/619795/12 "2012-04-24T14:22:22Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Start with good quality tomato juice, not the pre-mix bloody mary stuff in a bottle. Don’t get too heavy-handed with the tobasco and worcestershire sauces. A little fresh ground black pepper is good if you have it. Use a lime wedge in preference to lemon. I advise completely foregoing the celery sticks, green onions, olives and other salad that bartenders have been shoving in the glass lately. It’s supposed to be a cocktail, not a high fiber meal replacement. Well, it’s both. It’s intended for Sunday brunch, after a wild Saturday night, so this may well be your first meal of the day. The best ones have a jalopeno pepper Cuisinarted beyond recognition in them somewhere. George Jessel is credited with inventing this, although his bartender did a lot to make it palatable. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-for-great-bloody-mary/619795/13 "2012-04-24T14:33:24Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Dood, why don’t you just stir a big spoonful of cocktail sauce into a glass of iced vodka? A definite time-saver, but most cocktail sauces don’t have enough horseradish. But needs must if you are in a hurry! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-for-great-bloody-mary/619795/14 "2012-04-24T18:08:30Z")
I used to go to a lot of trouble, a la **silenus** ’ recipe. Now I just buy the absolute best bloody Mary mix I’ve ever had. It has the perfect spiciness. [Zing Zang](http://zingzangcom.easystorecreator.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-for-great-bloody-mary/619795/15 "2012-04-24T18:38:07Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > \ Clamato juice is an abomination in the eyes of Nuggan, and anyone who sullies the earth with such a heresy shall be cast into the Eternal Icebox (otherwise known as Canada). Be that as it may, we have delicious drinks here. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-for-great-bloody-mary/619795/16 "2012-04-24T19:09:52Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Use clamato juice and call it a bloody ceasar. 🙂 I haven’t drank alcohol for ages now, and that is one of the few drinks I miss. Yeah, I have to say, the Bloody Caesar one ups the Bloody Mary, IMHO. My recipe is straightforward: Clamato (or tomato juice spiked with fish sauce), vodka, a few dashes Worcestershire (too much and the whole damned thing tastes like Worcestershire sauce. A little goes a long way), a couple dashes Tabasco or similar hot sauce, squeeze of half a lime, lime garnish, vodka (or even tequila), celery salt, freshly ground pepper. As much as I enjoy horseradish otherwise, I just don’t like it in a bloody mary. I also also garnish it with an olive and pickled pepper, if I have some lying around. For me, this drink needs to be a balance between salt, spice, savory, sour, and alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![Cherry2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cherry2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cherry2000)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-for-great-bloody-mary/619795/17 "2012-04-24T19:31:09Z")
We make this one: [The Bacon Bloody](http://www.kitchenkonfidence.com/2010/12/the-bacon-bloody/) (minus all the frou-frou garnishes) There is a link in there to the recipe for bacon-habanero insused vodka to use in the bloody mary, and it’s a must. If you like spicy, this’ll blow yer skirt up ---
**Author:** ![wheresmymind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@wheresmymind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheresmymind)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-for-great-bloody-mary/619795/18 "2012-04-24T19:32:44Z")
Remove the legs, shell, apron, and guts/gills from a steamed blue crab. Muddle the body in a glass with tomato juice. Add your usual fixings. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-for-great-bloody-mary/619795/19 "2012-04-24T19:51:49Z")
I found a seemingly great one [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xp5Uf6Is1M). What do you think? ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-for-great-bloody-mary/619795/20 "2012-04-24T19:55:36Z")
The ingredient you are all missing for the perfect Bloody Mary is the blood of a virgin. Duh! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-for-great-bloody-mary/619795.md?page=2)