Bloody Mary

I love Bloody Marys. They’re hearty, delicious, complex, and the perfect cocktail for both sunrise and sunset. There is pretty much nothing I enjoy more than sitting on the back porch of the Swamp House drinking a bloody mary and watching the marsh life. Which is something I did plenty of last week. There’s just something about a cocktail that’s also a full serving of vegetables that makes my heart sing.

For a good bloody mary you need a fair amount of ingredients. Each one is important, and each one plays a particular role. However, this is also a recipe you can play with- adding more of what you like and leaving out what you don’t care for.

First, lemon & horseradish. The lemon adds a necessary cut in the heavy tomato flavor, and the horseradish adds spice and complexity.

Next, pickled okra. This is totally optional and a far cry from the usual celery, but completely delicious. See also: anything pickled, bacon, celery, other vegetables, etc.

Follow with pickled green beans (or carrots or beets) and a finger’s worth of pickle brine. Olive brine also works.

Then comes the vodka. This is to your taste, and also optional. A virgin bloody mary is completely delicious and just as refreshing, though you might want some ice to thin the mix out.

Bloody mary mix, recipe below. Add ice/tomato juice to to make the drink your desired thickness/strength, and mix. And enjoy.

Crock Pot Bloody Mary Mix

5-7 tomatoes, medium size

4 carrots

1 green pepper

1 onion

2 tbsp horseradish

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp Old Bay (or another season-all)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp celery seed

1 tsp mustard seeds

5 garlic cloves

1 tbsp hot sauce

Juice of 2 lemons

Peel and chop all ingredients and combine in a crock pot. Fill 1/3 of the way with water. Cook over low heat for 1-3 hours, or until vegetables are tender. Using a blender or an immersion blender, mix to your desired chunkiness.  If you’d like, strain or cut with additional tomato juice. Chill. Mix as instructed above and serve.