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April 1, 2011 3:00 PM   Subscribe

"The Bloody Mary has been called the world's most complex cocktail, and from the standpoint of flavor chemistry, you've got a blend of hundreds of flavor compounds that act on the taste senses. It covers almost the entire range of human taste sensations -- sweet, salty, sour and umami or savory -- but not bitter." Research that's part of the International Year of Chemistry.
posted by chavenet (140 comments total) 43 users marked this as a favorite
 
Booze that eats like a meal!
posted by Pants McCracky at 3:06 PM on April 1, 2011 [2 favorites]


"After tackling the chemistry of coffee, tea, fruit juices, soda pop, beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages "

Okay, this is awesome, but now I need to read about the chemistry of everything else! Where do I go?
posted by sunnichka at 3:08 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


Add clam juice to make it a caesar and you've got the mostest complex cocktail ever.
posted by jeffmik at 3:11 PM on April 1, 2011 [12 favorites]


Wow.

Just wow.

The Bloody Mary is my favorite drink to make because it has so many ingredients.

I think I make a pretty good one, too.

vodka
tom juice
squeeze of lime
ground pepper
garlic salt (celery salt is a legal substitute in most states - check your local laws)
Worcesteshire sauce (don't confuse it with soy sauce!)
Tabasco sauce
and the piece of resistance - horseradish or (if you can get real) wasabi.

voila! Breakfast.
posted by mmrtnt at 3:15 PM on April 1, 2011 [5 favorites]


I'm not a booze/mixed drink drinker at all, but I fucking love Bloody Marys. Them and margaritas.
posted by brundlefly at 3:15 PM on April 1, 2011


Screw Mary
Equal parts vodka, orange juice, and tomato juice or V8, spiced to taste.

I had no idea. . .
posted by Danf at 3:15 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


Maybe if you're all very, very good I'll let you in on the secret alchemy that is the fabled Bloody Martha.
posted by mostlymartha at 3:21 PM on April 1, 2011 [9 favorites]


I like mine with the merest sprinkle of Old Bay or some other spice mix. Adds some complexity to the pepper/Tabasco flavor. The Bloody is one of those cocktails that benefit from creativity and experimentation, rather than strict adherence to traditional rules. I had one (well, probably three) in Savannah, GA one time that had a kind of background smokiness going on, maybe like a little chipotle ... yum.
posted by penduluum at 3:22 PM on April 1, 2011 [3 favorites]


Them and margaritas.

I was never a margarita drinker until I was introduced to the Chambord "floater"


Mmmmm.
posted by mmrtnt at 3:28 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


The strangest aspect of the Bloody Mary is that it's existance suggests there may be a point to celery.
posted by Artw at 3:28 PM on April 1, 2011 [22 favorites]


+1 for the clam squeezins
posted by bonehead at 3:28 PM on April 1, 2011 [3 favorites]


The Danish Mary is one of my favorite drinks. Just substitute Akvavit (Danish caraway seed-infused liqueur) for vodka. It tastes like a boozy tomato on rye sandwich.
posted by benzenedream at 3:30 PM on April 1, 2011 [2 favorites]


+ Bacon + Grilled Cheese
posted by special-k at 3:30 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


Best Bloody Mary ever? The Boathouse on Madeline Island in Lake Superior. Alas, now defunct. And Superior never gives up its dead.
posted by Mental Wimp at 3:31 PM on April 1, 2011 [2 favorites]


Does anyone else have this problem? That is, I hate the taste of bloody marys so much I've never been able to finish one. Like it tastes seriously bad. I drink V8 and like it. I love mixed drinks. I'm fine with vodka in just about anything. But I'm not sure I could finish a bloody mary on a dare. What is going on with that?
posted by y6y6y6 at 3:31 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


I LOVE Bloody Marys. Morandi's in NYC does a real good one, if you're downtown.

I also am very fond of the Bloody Margaret (gin replaces vodka), since I drink more gin than I drink water. Wow, that can't be good.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 3:37 PM on April 1, 2011


Without reading the links, I hope someone has covered the marvels of the Bloody Mary with a beer chaser. (Go Packers.)
posted by found missing at 3:37 PM on April 1, 2011 [2 favorites]


I didn't enjoy a Bloody Mary until I had Jeffrey Morgenthaler's. One point in that recipe I question (both steak sauce AND Worcestershire?), but the rest, particularly the garlic, avocado, and horseradish, is brilliant. That half a small avocado tempers the whole pitcher.

And I use gin or aquavit with his mix, not vodka. And hit it with a dash of Angostura bitters.

the drink you have the morning after when the night before suggests you will never drink again
Indeed. I drink Bloodies Mary once a year, to cap off a weekend of particular excess(es).
posted by Prince_of_Cups at 3:38 PM on April 1, 2011 [3 favorites]


must have horseradish - the key difference between so-so and killer bloody mary.
also - thanks to being in Los Angeles - I will often substitute any number of the different variations on spicy red sauce in a bottle to be found here, magnifying the flavor palette significantly. Valentina Hot Sauce being one of my favorites.
posted by TMezz at 3:39 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


Why would there be umami in a Bloody Mary? You adding bacon to it or something?
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 3:41 PM on April 1, 2011


mostlymartha: "Maybe if you're all very, very good I'll let you in on the secret alchemy that is the fabled Bloody Martha."

wait do you actually have a recipe or is this a joke about your menses
posted by danny the boy at 3:45 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


Why would there be umami in a Bloody Mary?

Tomato.
posted by peeedro at 3:45 PM on April 1, 2011


Tomatoes have a fair bit of umami. The development of glutamic acid in the jelly pulp center is cited as part of the reason why vine-ripened tomatoes taste better than the air-freighted out-of-season ones.
posted by Prince_of_Cups at 3:46 PM on April 1, 2011 [2 favorites]


My favorite watering hole in Berkeley serves "Meatshakes" which, not being a meat-eater, I have not tried. Intriguing, though.
posted by brundlefly at 3:46 PM on April 1, 2011 [3 favorites]


I love Red Beer and tomato products, dislike vodka in general and absolutely hate any Bloody Mary I've had. Like y6y6y6, I don't know why. It seems like, considering that I'm totally an epicurean AND a gourmet, I would get down on a good one. But I just can't do it. I even had a snooty friend make me one she promised I would love, and I got through 1/4 before giving up in sad disgust. Am I doing something wrong? An aquavit varietal sounds good (though I resent it being referred to as Danish when everyone knows Swedish aquavit from Skåne is superior), as does gin...but maybe I'm just a lost cause.
posted by nonmerci at 3:46 PM on April 1, 2011


The strangest aspect of the Bloody Mary is that it's existance suggests there may be a point to celery.

How dare you besmirch "ants on a log."
posted by drezdn at 3:48 PM on April 1, 2011 [5 favorites]


How dare you besmirch PB and celery with those monstrosities known as raisins!
posted by nonmerci at 3:50 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]



My favorite watering hole in Berkeley serves "Meatshakes" which, not being a meat-eater, I have not tried. Intriguing, though.
posted by brundlefly at 6:46 PM on April 1 [+] [!]


Holy crap, you can't post something like that without at least sharing the name of the place!
posted by deadmessenger at 3:51 PM on April 1, 2011 [3 favorites]


Olive garden has a bloody mary garnished with pepperoni. Moar meat garnishes pls.
posted by Ad hominem at 3:52 PM on April 1, 2011


I'm not totally positive, but I think that texture is the big problem for most bloody mary dislikers.

Pureed tomato juice can be sort of thick and heavy, and when you add a bunch of other stuff to it, it can get even thicker.

If your tongue doesn't like thick stuff, maybe you can't get to the awesome drunken flavor.
posted by device55 at 3:54 PM on April 1, 2011


I would submit that a glass of gin and seasoned tomato juice is no more a bloody mary than a glass of vodka shaken over ice is a martini

You may drink with me.
posted by device55 at 3:55 PM on April 1, 2011 [4 favorites]


I've seen Caesars with crispy bacon garnishes. Pickled asparagus seems popular, too.
posted by jeffmik at 3:55 PM on April 1, 2011


Since when do tomatoes not have "bitter" in them?
posted by gjc at 3:55 PM on April 1, 2011


My favorite watering hole in Berkeley serves "Meatshakes" which, not being a meat-eater, I have not tried. Intriguing, though.

Is that...... Brisket?
posted by Ad hominem at 3:56 PM on April 1, 2011


My favorite watering hole in Berkeley serves "Meatshakes" which, not being a meat-eater, I have not tried. Intriguing, though.

I want this, and I want this now.

And I don't even drink.
posted by spinifex23 at 3:57 PM on April 1, 2011


Also I'm going to point out that the chemists didn't say "use cheap vodka", they said you can be "economical" with the vodka. There's a big difference. Vodka is unlike almost every other liquor in its value curve--whereas merely avoiding the cheap stuff isn't enough when picking a good scotch or bourbon, the 'good enough' tier of vodka really is a plateau, above which nothing really rises.

There is no artistry in the stuff; its very definition is a neutral tasting spirit. It's the product of industrial processes. That's why your favorite rapper can package and sell the stuff. Filter it enough, and it becomes premium.

tl;dr - buy Smirnoff. I promise you won't be able to pass a blind taste between that Stoli and Ketel
posted by danny the boy at 3:58 PM on April 1, 2011 [4 favorites]


The Caesar (basically a Bloody Mary but with Clamato instead of Tomato Juice) was invented in Canada and is one of our country's most popular cocktails. (Recently, we were on a trip to Cuba and had a good laugh seeing some fellow canucks who'd brought along their own jugs of Clamato so they could make their own Caesars instead of drinking the resort's Bloody Marys!)

Clamato sounds disgusting (clam juice and tomato juice) but is actually delicious. I haven't had the pleasure of trying Beefamato but I would hope it would be a similar sounds terrible/tastes great result.

Oh, and my personal favourite hot sauce substitution is Marie Sharp's. So good!
posted by Jaybo at 3:59 PM on April 1, 2011 [5 favorites]


Bloody Maria, the above drink but with Tequila instead.

Though, there is also a vodka that satisfies the missing ingredient: bacon.
posted by wcfields at 4:06 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


I didn't enjoy a Bloody Mary until I had Jeffrey Morgenthaler's. ...
posted by Prince_of_Cups

From that link: "I’ve found that this recipe works best when it’s allowed to sit overnight to let the flavors combine. So if you have the time, try to make it the night before."

That contradicts the thesis of this paper. Time to bring out the graduated cylinders!
posted by StickyCarpet at 4:06 PM on April 1, 2011


deadmessenger: "Holy crap, you can't post something like that without at least sharing the name of the place!"

My apologies. It's the Acme Bar.
posted by brundlefly at 4:07 PM on April 1, 2011


mmrtnt:
vodka
tom juice
squeeze of lime
ground pepper
garlic salt (celery salt is a legal substitute in most states - check your local laws)
Worcesteshire sauce (don't confuse it with soy sauce!)
Tabasco sauce
and the piece of resistance - horseradish or (if you can get real) wasabi.


This is very nearly the correct answer. Replace the Tabasco with some chipotle adobo (like from the Embasa chipotle can) and the taste is just perfect.
posted by rkent at 4:10 PM on April 1, 2011 [2 favorites]


My apologies. It's the Acme Bar.

Good grief, how did I not know that was there? I used to live really close to there in Emeryville, and my go-to Indian takeout place was a block up San Pablo from there.
posted by deadmessenger at 4:11 PM on April 1, 2011


> I would submit that a glass of gin and seasoned tomato juice is no more a bloody mary than a glass of vodka shaken over ice is a martini.

While I fully agree that a "true" martini* is made only with gin, I do remember reading once that most vodka drinks used to be made with gin.

In other words, I believe the original Bloody Mary (no one dares type "BM", I see) was made with gin.

I was shocked to find that Bond drank vodka martinis
posted by mmrtnt at 4:14 PM on April 1, 2011


Some people hate this but try adding a few drops to a splash of balsamic vinegar.
posted by clarknova at 4:14 PM on April 1, 2011


Dudes, ya'll gotta put a Slim Jim in that thing to stir it with. Then you've got some protein in your Mary.
posted by gagglezoomer at 4:14 PM on April 1, 2011 [4 favorites]


I was shocked to find that Bond drank vodka martinis

James Bond is a fictional character and drinks fictional cocktails.
posted by device55 at 4:15 PM on April 1, 2011 [12 favorites]


Dudes, ya'll gotta put a Slim Jim in that thing to stir it with. Then you've got some protein in your Mary.
posted by gagglezoomer at 7:14 PM on April 1 [1 favorite +] [!]


Flagged for egregiously disgusting.
posted by nonmerci at 4:18 PM on April 1, 2011


So n+1 on the Caesar, which is fantastic and I've never understood why they're not more popular. The only reason you find Clamato in every Canadian grocery store is to make Caesars with, it's not like clamato by itself is some fantastic drink.

Some additions:
- a dash of balsamic is indeed great
- use a pickle spear instead of celery as the garnish

Apparently some people like a bit of horseradish to go in with the tabasco, but to me that's crazy talk. Just the seasoned salt on the rim and a small dash of tabasco. And the pickle.
posted by GuyZero at 4:22 PM on April 1, 2011


Flagged for egregiously disgusting.

Sometimes that's what it's all about. Also, at least one person likes my idea.
posted by gagglezoomer at 4:22 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


Dudes, ya'll gotta put a Slim Jim in that thing to stir it with. Then you've got some protein in your Mary.

I've heard rumors, on MetaFilter of all places, that a bloody with a Slim Jim swizzle stick is available somwhere in the 5 boros. I myself am partial to Big Beef Chevys myself, a bit less greasy.
posted by Ad hominem at 4:23 PM on April 1, 2011


Pureed tomato juice can be sort of thick and heavy, and when you add a bunch of other stuff to it, it can get even thicker.

it's always served over ice, so it will thin out pretty quickly. And having grown up drinking tomato juice with fancy dinners (I have no idea why this was a family tradition), it's not that thick. And vodka is only going to thin it out, it's not like you're adding thickeners.
posted by GuyZero at 4:24 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


And vodka is only going to thin it out, it's not like you're adding thickeners.

Hey I don't know. I'm just trying to meet people halfway. It's like that (sad) cilantro thing some people have.
posted by device55 at 4:25 PM on April 1, 2011


Slim Jim, beef jerky, bacon... it's all good.
posted by peeedro at 4:25 PM on April 1, 2011


This thread has inspired me to make a Caesar for supper. Metafilter, is there no end to the good you bring to my life?
posted by Jaybo at 4:27 PM on April 1, 2011 [2 favorites]


There's a place in Austin that does one with bacon-infused vodka and a slice of bacon and a couple cubes of cheddar as a garnish. It's lovely.
posted by restless_nomad at 4:27 PM on April 1, 2011 [2 favorites]


Er, a caesar to drink with my supper just to be clear.
posted by Jaybo at 4:27 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]




...put a Slim Jim in that thing to stir it with. Then you've got some protein in your Mary.

Worcestershire sauce has anchovies, so we're all set.
posted by StickyCarpet at 4:30 PM on April 1, 2011


We once made a broth out of coquinas we collected at the beach -- I can imagine it'd make a superb Caesar.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 4:31 PM on April 1, 2011


most vodka drinks used to be made with gin.
Paul Harrington gives Red Snapper as the name of the precursor drink with gin. His website (from HotWired?) is long since gone, and his book (Cocktail: The Drinks Bible for the 21st Century) is out-of-print, but here's a link on Scribd to what looks like a PDF scrape of the HotWired site (bottom of page 6).
posted by Prince_of_Cups at 4:34 PM on April 1, 2011


I had so many Bloody Marys when I went to New Orleans they had to order out for more vodka. I think it might have been down there that I had one with the Slim Jim swizzler, but I honestly can't remember where. For some odd reason the memory is a little blurry.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 4:34 PM on April 1, 2011


I always use V8, and Tobasco's chipotle sauce....it gives it the perfect amount of smokiness without all the heat that makes them undrinkable to my wimpy friends and family.

Also, James Bond is now deader to me than even before. Vodka martinis. Pish.
posted by nevercalm at 4:36 PM on April 1, 2011


I will never reveal my Bloody Mary recipe, but I will say this: if you are not using horseradish, you are doing it wrong.

But that's not the secret ingredient. The secret ingredient is so banal, so obvious, and so likely to infuriate people who think they know how to make a proper Bloody Mary that I will never share it.

(The problem I have is that after years of tending bar the only recipe I have memorized for the mix is a 5-gallon batch, and it doesn't scale. And it's rare that I need that much Bloody Mary mix. I should just go ahead and make it -- it makes for a tasty Virgin Mary, too.)
posted by BitterOldPunk at 4:57 PM on April 1, 2011 [2 favorites]


wait do you actually have a recipe or is this a joke about your menses

Oh, there's a recipe all right. Awesomeness-wise, they're pretty much universal opposite concepts. Both involve gin though, as it happens.
posted by mostlymartha at 4:57 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


3 parts tomato juice/V8 and one part beef broth. The rest as before. Mmmmmmmm. It's a meal.
posted by warbaby at 4:57 PM on April 1, 2011


I had a Bacon Bloody Mary once. It was tasty.
posted by jonmc at 4:58 PM on April 1, 2011


The strangest aspect of the Bloody Mary is that it's existance suggests there may be a point to celery.

Or to vodka.
posted by exogenous at 4:59 PM on April 1, 2011 [3 favorites]


The secret ingredient is so banal, so obvious

It's urine, isn't it.
posted by found missing at 5:05 PM on April 1, 2011 [2 favorites]


Sugar.
posted by blargerz at 5:06 PM on April 1, 2011


martha: so when is there going to be the Bloody Martha meetup?
posted by madcaptenor at 5:07 PM on April 1, 2011 [3 favorites]


I really love the Bloody Caesar, but it sounds exactly like the sort of thing you'd concoct from odds and ends lurking in the back of your pantry. Clamato, celery salt, worchestshire...I'm surprised they couldn't work in anchovy paste and year-old rye crisps as well.
posted by gamera at 5:12 PM on April 1, 2011 [2 favorites]


But that's not the secret ingredient. The secret ingredient is so banal, so obvious, and so likely to infuriate people who think they know how to make a proper Bloody Mary that I will never share it.

Keep your tunafish out of my Bloody Mary.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 5:13 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


string cheese, too.
posted by jonmc at 5:14 PM on April 1, 2011


mmrtnt: "I was shocked to find that Bond drank vodka martinis"

Well yes, in the novels, he orders roughly the same amount of gin martinis as vodka martinis.

But all is forgiven, because the very first drink Bond ever orders is one of his own concoction: the Vesper. And it's quite good, if you compensate for how the ingredients have changed over the years. Besides adding back the bitterness of the now-extinct Kina* Lillet, you'll want to:

"use 100-proof Stolichnaya vodka to bring the alcohol content of the Vodka back to 1953 levels."

*Kina being the Peruvian word for "bark of the tree", i.e., quinine
posted by danny the boy at 5:15 PM on April 1, 2011


I recently had an amazing Bloody Maria variant at Il Matto in NYC. It was called a Bloody Frida, and contained... if I can recall correctly... ginger-infused tequila, tomato juice, worchestershire, tobasco, and "tom yum gum," which was a spicy, curry-like powder sprinkled on the top. I have this habit where I end up drinking tomato-juice-based products very quickly, so two of those went down my gullet fast enough to leave my boozy head swirling.

(Also, as one who knows of the Bloody Martha recipe but has never actually had one, I long for it with a great hunger.)
posted by whitneyarner at 5:22 PM on April 1, 2011


The Double Down bar on Ave. A in Manhattan (and the one in Vegas) offers the Bacon Bloody Mary, made with bacon-infused vodka and served with a Slim Jim. A meal in a glass, and much better than their bacon martini.
posted by AJaffe at 5:23 PM on April 1, 2011


You know what Australians call a Bloody Mary without vodka in it? A Bloody Shame.
posted by Paul Slade at 5:25 PM on April 1, 2011 [2 favorites]


Add two shots of Irish cream and you have a Sundae Bloody Sundae.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 5:29 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


Individually, I love every ingredient in a Bloody Mary.
Combined, though, I find it an undrinkable horror.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:30 PM on April 1, 2011


It complements breakfast food well.
posted by jonmc at 5:32 PM on April 1, 2011


James Bond is a fictional character and drinks fictional cocktails.

If you think that a Vesper is merely a "fictional cocktail", you are missing out on one of life's very real pleasures. Fleming may have invented it, but all great cocktails were invented.

Back on topic: pickled asparagus.
posted by trip and a half at 5:33 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


It also replaces breakfast food well.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 5:33 PM on April 1, 2011 [4 favorites]


I infused vodka with some habaneros from my garden last year and will attest that it makes a superior bloody mary.
posted by horsemuth at 5:34 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


A lot of people seem to be saying things like Thorzdad, which I find interesting because I'm just the opposite. I fucking loathe tomato juice. I think vodka is a waste of an ingredient when you could be using something with flavor. Celery is just unforgivably boring. Put together and spice to taste, I'll take a pitcher of 'em.
posted by penduluum at 5:34 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


Actually the secret ingredient I use is home-made Cucumber Vodka.
posted by The Whelk at 5:35 PM on April 1, 2011 [2 favorites]


Anybody else in the mood for oyster shooters and a skullcrushing hangover?
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 5:40 PM on April 1, 2011


No, I'm in the mood for Rhum Barbancourt chased with Narragansett and Maple Eggs followed by a nap.
posted by jonmc at 5:41 PM on April 1, 2011


I'm drinking Knob Creek (shh, I'm currently too cheap for Blanton's), so I guess that's what I'm in the mood for. In an ideal world I'd be drinking St. Germain and gin cocktails doused with lemon juice and served in an elegant, crystal high-ball...at least my future self has something to look forward to.
posted by nonmerci at 5:57 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


NEVER APOLOGIZE FOR KNOB CREEK IT IS THE DUKE OF BOURBON.
posted by The Whelk at 6:00 PM on April 1, 2011 [6 favorites]


HAHAHA Oh The Whelk, you are amazing. I was just pre-emotively combating presumed snark. :(
posted by nonmerci at 6:02 PM on April 1, 2011


I'll probably settle for Macallan and Vicodin. I call it, "They Bloody Well Won't Give Me a New Liver."
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 6:04 PM on April 1, 2011 [6 favorites]


Knob Creek: Breakfast of Champions

And insomniac alcoholics.
posted by Rangeboy at 6:05 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


Noo, not pre-emotively! Oh god. What could that even mean? I meant "pre-emptively." Drinking and MeFi'ing are clearly terrible ideas, destined for failure.
posted by nonmerci at 6:06 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


.

/pre-emotively for my head tomorrow morning
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 6:08 PM on April 1, 2011 [4 favorites]


Ever since I gave up being a geek to be a bro I been drinking bud and goldschlager it is awsome!
posted by Ad hominem at 6:18 PM on April 1, 2011


Best bro drink I've found (people drink this enough at this bar that they put it on the menu:) the Dead Nazi - Rumplemintz and Jagermeister. I tried it once out of curiosity - it was vile in that "Oh, this is nasty - you gotta taste it" sort of way.
posted by restless_nomad at 6:29 PM on April 1, 2011


Consider yourself iced, bro.
posted by peeedro at 6:29 PM on April 1, 2011


How I wish I could enjoy the Bloody Mary. It's got at least a dozen elements that I absolutely love...

Unfortunately, I loathe tomato juice.
posted by rollbiz at 6:38 PM on April 1, 2011


I want everyone here to know that I am currently drinking a bloody mary in a metafilter shirt. I'm wearing the shirt, not the cocktail. I also have a skull crushing hangover, and this thread reminded me of exactly what I needed. Thank you, metafilter.

(yes, it's 6:40 pm where I am. That's how I roll.)
posted by flaterik at 6:40 PM on April 1, 2011 [3 favorites]


Rumplemintz and Jagermeister
I'm not there yet
posted by Ad hominem at 6:51 PM on April 1, 2011


Horseradish is also bitter.
posted by snofoam at 7:01 PM on April 1, 2011


Bitterly delicious!
posted by nonmerci at 7:09 PM on April 1, 2011


Serves 4, or serves 1, depending on how you roll.
posted by Greg Nog at 6:06 PM on April 1 [+] [!]


Reciponymous?
posted by mmrtnt at 7:18 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


A splash of dill pickle juice does a bloody well (weird, I know).
posted by agog at 7:33 PM on April 1, 2011


I'm a HUGE aficionado and this thread is killing me.

Nice thick tomato juice, celery salt, easy on the black pepper ferchrissakes, Fresh tabasco, The horseradish is key, as are olives, in the drink and on a toothpick balanced correctly, and olive juice just a half teaspoon or so. Bay spice crusted on the glass. BIG GLASS or hell make it a nice big mug. Bloody's should never be in a standard glass and they should ALWAYS be a double. Some decent Vodka, using the absolute top shelf is a waste of money. Grey Goose or Ketel, if you're feeling rich, or Tito's, Finlandia or Absolute.

And it needs to be made fresh. THAT is key.


Everyone does the premix shit though for brunches, what're you gonna do?

A a nice bloody freezing cold limed Sol or Pacifico to chase the whole thing down.

Delicious, if I do say so myself.
posted by Skygazer at 7:45 PM on April 1, 2011


This thread is making me thirsty, but I'm much too lazy to make a Bloody Mary right now. Also, I think we're out of horseradish. Well, tomorrow is another day!
posted by rtha at 8:01 PM on April 1, 2011


Just saying that a BM requires dill pickle brine.
posted by Threeway Handshake at 8:10 PM on April 1, 2011


It covers almost the entire range of human taste sensations -- sweet, salty, sour and umami or savory -- but not good.
posted by moss at 8:37 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


I have never had a bloody mary that I've enjoyed. My suspicion is that I just don't like salty drinks, and bloody mary's seem invariably salty.
posted by klangklangston at 8:42 PM on April 1, 2011


Just saying that a BM requires dill pickle brine.

That or olive brine.
posted by peeedro at 9:11 PM on April 1, 2011



But that's not the secret ingredient. The secret ingredient is so banal, so obvious, and so likely to infuriate people who think they know how to make a proper Bloody Mary that I will never share it.

It's mustard, isn't it? $5.00 says it's mustard.
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 9:45 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


I generally believe cocktails should be made to a rough formula. Deviation is fine, but it is no longer the named cocktail.

A Bloody Mary, on the other hand, is the salad bar of the drink world. Take a glass and fill it with whatever the heck you like and enjoy. You want to use gin? Go ahead! You want to infuse your vodka with horseradish? Mazel tov! You want to add anchovy paste? Please do, good buddy.
posted by munchingzombie at 10:23 PM on April 1, 2011


What, no shrimp? Heathens.
posted by axiom at 10:34 PM on April 1, 2011


It's mustard, isn't it? $5.00 says it's mustard.

Close. But not quite.

Everyone does the premix shit though for brunches, what're you gonna do?

I disagree. A good Bloody Mary mix is like good lasagna -- it'll be BETTER after it sits in the fridge overnight.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 10:45 PM on April 1, 2011


Ketchup? I'll have to try that anyway now that I think of it.
posted by GeckoDundee at 11:24 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


pickled okra!
posted by goneill at 11:36 PM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


I could see a dab of ketchup possibly working..

It would have to be the organic kind without the HFCS.

Could get gimmicky real fast though.

I'll get back to you on that BOP.
posted by Skygazer at 11:38 PM on April 1, 2011


Barbecue sauce?
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 12:22 AM on April 2, 2011


To me they taste like a train wreck I can't avert my eyes from.
posted by amethysts at 1:35 AM on April 2, 2011


so when is there going to be the Bloody Martha meetup?

Just as soon as you go into a dark bathroom and say "Bloody Martha" into the mirror three times.
posted by felix grundy at 6:41 AM on April 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


Here in Quebec nobody drinks Bloody Marys, we're all about the Caesars. However both drinks are deliciously complex. Or is it complexitly delicious? I can never tell.
posted by Vindaloo at 6:47 AM on April 2, 2011


The preceeding discussion suggests that a teaspoon or less of falernum might add to the interest. Drinks with falernum are invariably complex. When people who like rum ask me for a complex drink, I serve them a Port Antonio.

As for that anchovy suggestion upthread, Worcestershire sauce is anchovies, just the same way Soylent Green is people.
posted by warbaby at 7:16 AM on April 2, 2011


Thanks metafilter, now I have to go to Wegman's and get Bloody Mary fixings.
posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 8:15 AM on April 2, 2011


Caesars are the dogs whatsits.

BOP - just checking, is that the secret ingredient?
posted by arcticseal at 8:17 AM on April 2, 2011


A question about Caesars, which I love: is there a dependable recipe for DIY Clamato? The Mott's stuff is filled with preservatives and other non-essentials.

Suggestions for alternatives which preserve the Caesar-ness of it all would also be appreciated. I'm not inclined to cook clams myself, but if that's what has to be done, then that's what has to be done.
posted by not_that_epiphanius at 8:44 AM on April 2, 2011


GeckoDundee has it -- ketchup. Horrifying, I know.

Not a lot of ketchup -- but more than a token amount. For three reasons -- ketchup gives the mix some body, so after you've added ice and vodka the drink still has a nice structure; ketchup rounds the flavor out nicely, adding a sweet note that blends well with the salt and spice; ketchup is bright red, it brings a mix that can tend to be brownish back to a cheerful crimson.

OK, here you go, my Bloody Mary mix. I've deliberately left measurements out, but the list is in (roughly) descending order of quantity:

Tomato juice (NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT V8 *shudder*)
Ketchup
Worcestershire sauce
Horseradish
Lime juice
Olive brine
Texas Pete's Hot Sauce (more flavor, less heat, less vinegary than Tabasco, I prefer it, YMMV)
Celery juice (Really. They sell it! It's true!)
White pepper (because there's nothing more aesthetically displeasing to me than a flake of black pepper clinging to an ice cube. Ugh. White pepper is invisible in the mix)

Note that there's no salt added -- the tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, and olive brine have plenty.

Add a shot of vodka and ice and shake (not stir! it's thick, you want it to be thoroughly blended), pour into a tall glass rimmed with Old Bay (cheers, Greg Nog!) and garnished with a flag of two olives speared on a lime wedge. I don't hold with the traditional celery garnish, it just gets in the way. A pickled string bean is too cutesy and too much hassle. But lime and olive are flavors already in the drink and have the eye-pleasing splash of green the drink needs to bring it all together.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 10:10 AM on April 2, 2011 [10 favorites]


Please make me a pitcher and pour it into the intertubes. Thanks!
posted by rtha at 10:12 AM on April 2, 2011


Good clam nectar is hard to find.
posted by warbaby at 11:08 AM on April 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


V8 and MadButcher's Salsa - add dash of Worcestershire, quick pulse or five in blender so not completely pureed. Mix in vodka. Garnish with pickle slice and tablespoon of salsa on top of the last ice cube. Drink with straw. Yes, a straw.
posted by yesster at 1:40 PM on April 2, 2011


Pickled okra. But keep the olives in there too.
posted by secretary bird at 2:00 PM on April 2, 2011


The secret is.....GIN!

For years I loved the IDEA of the Bloody Mary (as so many have said already, so many yums, so horrible together) but could never stand them, try as I might. Then one day someone suggested gin instead of vodka and my world was new. I love them now. Nothing better for a Sunday brunch. My favorite recipe is a kind of gazpacho variation on the theme.

Try it!
posted by Belle O'Cosity at 3:02 PM on April 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


Oh, and best cocktail evaR? Caipirinha, hands down. You have to use good cachaça, though.
posted by Mental Wimp at 3:17 PM on April 2, 2011


That sounds like a great recipe, BOP! I'm going to try it tonight.
posted by Mental Wimp at 3:18 PM on April 2, 2011


my secret? Wasabi.
posted by chavenet at 3:39 PM on April 2, 2011


Sugar


You go to Hell.


I would be absolutely furious if I were given a Bloody with any more sweetness than comes from the Worcestershire sauce. Like anywhere from pouting and fuming to seriously throwing things pissed, depending on my hangover. There are few things grosser than tucking into something you expect to be tart and salty only to get a mouthful of bblleeeeeaaahhh sugar.

I actually think that sounds worse than the Slim Jim.
posted by louche mustachio at 8:49 PM on April 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


BOP: ketchup is bright red, it brings a mix that can tend to be brownish back to a cheerful crimson.


If one's BM's are heading away from a nice subdued (at the very most), red and into any sort of brown, one is using way too much Worcestershire sauce. There's few things sadder than when a BM has the amateurs imprint of the Worcestershire sauce riding too strong in the mix.

DO NOT DO THAT.

If you do that, it's off to cocktail jail with you.

Philistine.
posted by Skygazer at 9:10 PM on April 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


If one's BM's are heading away from a nice subdued (at the very most), red and into any sort of brown, one is using way too much Worcestershire sauce.

If they are black and tarry, go to the ER immediately.
posted by StickyCarpet at 9:57 PM on April 2, 2011 [3 favorites]


+1 for Ceasars... your missing out if you're still drinking bloody marys, I'm never going back. It's harder to find Clamato in the states though.
posted by coust at 11:22 AM on April 3, 2011


The best bloody mary I've ever had was, in fact, a Caesar, and it was made with garlic-infused vodka. Dear lord, that was good.
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 3:02 PM on April 3, 2011 [2 favorites]


Paul's Club in Madison, Wisconsin, adds a splash of Guinness. Another one of those sounds weird/tastes great things. Although I'm sure it offends the color purists.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 1:00 PM on April 5, 2011


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