The Bloody Mary… Not just for Sunday anymore
I love the label on the Bloody Bud mix bottle concocted by Chef Ron Eyester of Rosebud in Atlanta’s Morningside neighborhood, which states…”not just for Sunday anymore” …as if the ubiquitous, invigorating, ambrosial, delectable, piquant and just plain tasty Bloody Mary isn’t perfect every day of the week! You might guess that I am a fan of this cocktail (which I am) and have a killer recipe of my own (which I do) and have a list of favorites at local restaurants (which I have) and now that spring is peeking around the corner, it’s time to get Bloody serious.
My appreciation for a good Bloody started late in my teens as an after church ritual. Even the preacher came to our house for one of my Dad’s famous Bloody Marys on Sundays. My grandmother took hers without the Vodka (that’s called a Bloody Shame) and my sister, brother and I were allowed just ONE.
A couple of decades later, when I decided to repaint my den and couldn’t quite describe to the painters the color I had in mind, I whipped up a Bloody and asked them to match it.
Whatever. Bloodys are still a universal favorite and the highlight of Sundays, Football Saturdays and, lately, snow days. And I know a few good ones when I meet them.
Canoe features a Bloody Mary which involves some molecular mixology. The bar keeps use gelatin filtration to remove the thickness and color from mix to make a transparent Bloody Mary martini, dubbed the Golden Mary. The filtration process takes more than two days, and the recipe is complete with 1.5 oz. Karllson’s Gold Swedish Vodka added to 1.5 oz. of the mix, shaken and served in a martini glass with a poblano pepper garnish.
The earlier mentioned Rosebud’s Chef Ron Eyester is bottling his successful Bloody Mary mix, so you can enjoy his Bloody Bud at home. The Bloody Bud contains tomatoes, capers, garlic, celery, onion, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, horseradish, cilantro, basil, parsley, red chili flakes, Siracha, Tabasco, black pepper and kosher salt. All ingredients are sourced from Taylor Organic Farm in Ellenwood, Georgia. Just add 3 oz. of a preferred vodka to 10 oz. of the mix, shake and strain into a chilled, salted pint glass and enjoy!
New Reynoldstown eatery H. Harper Station will be launching its brunch menu next month, which will feature mixologist Jerry Slater’s version of the Bloody Mary. Channeling his Midwestern roots, Slater’s idea of a good Bloody Mary is one served with a cold pint of beer. H. Harper Station’s version contains organic, all-natural Stim’s Bloody Mary mix with Rain Vodka, served alongside a 6 oz. local beer.
At Durty Kelly’s Public House in Alpharetta, find “The Freshest of Food and Oldest of Drink,” with an old-school approach to Bloody Mary making that puts YOU in charge, with more than 100 ingredients from which you can choose.
Oh, and my own killer recipe? Two ounces of any decent vodka, four ounces Clamato Tomato Cocktail (Clamato used to make a Bloody Caesar mix that was perfect, but it has been discontinued), 2 short squirts from a bottle of Joe and Nellie’s Key Lime Juice and a dash of Tobasco. Clean, simple, zesty. Salted rim is a matter of preference, but in the interest of clear arteries and skinny ankles, not mine.
