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A Bloody Mary worth celebrating
A Bloody Mary is a perfect drink to welcome in the first day of the New Year. | Photo by Melissa Elsmo
New Year’s Day Bloody Marys
This makes a large pitcher of cocktails! If you want a virgin variation try substituting 1 ½ cups of additional V-8 and 1 cup of orange juice for the vodka. 2 ½ cups of Kettle One Vodka 6 cups of V-8 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish 1 teaspoon Frank’s Red Hot 1 teaspoon celery salt 1 teaspoon black pepper Assorted banderillas, lemon and lime wedges, celery stalks, dill pickle spears and beef jerky for garnish Lager or light beer chaser Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher and mix well. Fill a pint glass with ice and pour the Bloody Mary mixture into the glass. Garnish each drink as desired. Lemon, dill pickles and celery are non-negotiable in my book, but go on and gild the lily with festive banderillas and a stick of beef jerky as a special treat. Be sure to kick it Wisconsin style and serve this “meal in a glass” with a light beer chaser. Bloody Mary Worthy Banderillas
Inspired by darts used in bullfighting, banderillas are popular in Spanish tapas bars. The small skewers feature assorted ingredients and make a perfectly fanciful garnish for a batch of Bloody Marys. Use these combinations as a jumping-off point for creating your own creative banderillas.
The Classic: alternate sweet gherkins, cocktail onions and pimento-stuffed green olives on 4-inch skewers
The Sea Brine: alternate marinated artichoke hearts, cooked shrimp, raw green bean segments, and sliced celery on 4-inch skewers
The Veg Head: alternate cucumber chunks, grape tomatoes and 1-inch scallion sections on 4-inch skewers
The Cheese Head: alternate 1-inch cubes of summer sausage, 1-inch cubes of sharp cheddar cheese and red pepper chunks on 4-inch skewers.
Updated: January 2, 2013 7:36AM
Popping one too many champagne corks at a riotous New Year’s Eve soiree often leads to a slow moving morning on New Year’s Day.
Given our annual tendency to imbibe and indulge at the turn of a new year, it’s no wonder Jan. 1 is National Bloody Mary Day.
Believed to cure nasty hangovers, the enduring cocktail made its debut in the early 1920s. The original Bloody Mary was nothing more than a mixture of vodka and tomato juice, but over the years the drink has evolved to include a veritable laundry list of ingredients. Thanks to the additions of black pepper, horseradish and cayenne pepper, Bloody Marys became spicier than ever before. An arsenal of creative garnish options bring a sense of whimsy to the salty/spicy drink and give home mixologists a chance to put their own spin on a traditional brunch cocktail.
The last time I ordered a Bloody Mary in a restaurant it came pathetically garnished with nothing more than a stick of string cheese. Sure I was in Wisconsin, but I immediately began questioning what the heck that rubbery cheese was doing in my poolside drink. I couldn’t figure out why a bartender would ditch pickle spears and celery stalks in favor of a kid’s favorite snack food, but I knew one thing for certain — my husband Leif’s expertise in the Bloody Mary-making arena had ruined me on the drink forever. He makes the single best Bloody Mary I’ve ever tasted. Seriously, we’ve converted many a Mary hater in our house.
