Cocktail of the Week: Bloody Mary

Grab the celery!  It's Bloody Mary time!  Dr. D and I are hosting a brunch this Sunday so I thought this would be the perfect time to talk about the quintessential brunch, "hair of the dog" cocktail.  As with most cocktails, the origin of the drink is not clear.  However, the King Cole Bar that I referenced in an earlier post (where we had drinks before our friend's wedding) is allegedly the origin of the drink in the U.S.  It was called the "Red Snapper" because the term "Bloody Mary" was deemed too gauche for the esteemed bar.  I know we certainly saw a lot of folks ordering it, even though it was 5 p.m. on a Saturday.  And thanks to lifestyle guru, Martha Stewart, I now present their recipe:

Ingredients:


1 ounce Belvedere vodka
2 ounces tomato juice
1 dash lemon juice
2 dashes salt
2 dashes black pepper
2 dashes cayenne pepper
3 dashes Worcestershire sauce

Directions:   Shake. Strain. Serve up.
http://www.marthastewart.com/873593/red-snapper-original-recipe

Very simple.  Of course, the best thing about the Bloody Mary is the infinite variations of the cocktail.  You can use flavored vodkas (citrus and pepper work best), different tomato mixes (Zing Zang, Mr. & Mrs. T's), and add garnishes such as pearl onions, spicy green beans (Dr. D's favorite), olives, and the ubiquitous celery stalk.  The Hotel Monaco bar in Chicago (South Water Kitchen) adds a slice of crispy bacon to its version and serves it with a beer back.  When Dr. D tried it last December, he thought he had died and gone to heaven!

But that's the beauty of the cocktail, even when it's at its most simple, it's still delicious.  Dr. D and I love to grab one on morning Southwest flights when we go on vacation.  It's nothing fancy, just vodka and bloody mary mix/tomato juice, but it really gets us in a great mindset. 

Sadly, we have decided not to serve Bloody Marys at our brunch, since the weather is so warm and I was dying to do a DIY champagne bar.   I'll have to report back on that after the weekend.  So this weekend, get an early start on laundry and yard work and then kick back with a late morning "Bloody."  It'll make the upcoming week start a little bit better.