Bloody Mary with Bacon Garnish
The origins of the Bloody Mary is in some dispute; some say it originated in Paris in the 1920s; others say New York after Prohibition. But it has ultimately evolved to become the quintessential brunch cocktail.
A guy with a food blog called Former Chef posted a recipe back in 2009 for what he called "Kick-Ass Bloody Mary." Strangely, he had a bottle of Cholula Hot Sauce in the photograph of all his ingredients, but failed to list it as an actual ingredient in the recipe, and never mentioned it in his commentary.
In 2016, I had somehow talked myself into making a Sunday brunch for three families and eleven people. I wanted a Bloody Mary pre-made concentrate that I could simply pour into a glass of ice with some vodka and top with tomato juice. I jiggered around (pun intended) with the Former Chef's recipe and substituted Spicy Hot V-8 Juice for tomato juice with the outlandish garnish of a strip of crispy thick-cut bacon. It was a hit.
Bloody Mary with Bacon Garnish
Ingredients
- 1- 1/4 cups Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tsp garlic, minced
- 2 tsp celery seed
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp olive brine
- 2 tsp Tabasco Sauce
- 2 tsp prepared horseradish
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt
- 1 tbsp Montreal Steak Salt
- 2 oz premium vodka (like, Tito's or Kettle One)
- 1 5- 1/3 oz can Spicy Hot V-8 Juice
- hard ice
- 1 tall celery stalk
- 1 strip thick cut bacon, cooked crispy but not fragile
- 2-3 Martini olives on a cocktail skewer
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in an air tight container or Mason jar.
- Shake vigorously.
- Refrigerate at least overnight before use.
- Keep refrigerated due to the fresh fruit juices, but the mix will keep for at least 6 months.
- Lay the Montreal Steak Salt on a paper plate.
- Rim a tall Collins glass with lime or lemon juice, then dip the rim to coat it in the steak salt.
- In a cocktail shaker, add 2 oz of Blood Mary Concentrate from the recipe above, 2 oz of vodka and the 5-1/3 oz can Spicy Hot V-8 Juice.
- Fill the Collins glass with hard ice.
- Fill the cocktail shaker with hard ice and shake vigorously, then immediately strain into the Collins glass.
- Garnish with the celery stalk, bacon strip and olive skewer
Notes
- The term "hard ice" is an old bartender term from the days when a mixologist would use an ice pick on a large block of ice to pick off large chunks of ice to make a cocktail. Today, the term "hard ice" is to distinguish it from "crushed ice" or "shaved ice."
