Preppy Kitchen Recipes Drinks Bloody Mary

Bloody Mary

By John Kanell Published Jan 15, 2022
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A staple at brunch, this classic Bloody Mary is spicy, salty, and savory. Skip the pre-made mixes and make your cocktail at home with only a handful of ingredients in next to no time. The perfect hangover cure, this fresh tomato-filled cocktail is a delicious way to kick start your weekend.

A glass of Bloody Mary with celery, olives, and lime garnish in front of a second one.

Spicy and tangy, this vodka-spiked tomato cocktail is a brunch favorite that is also hailed as a hangover remedy thanks to the electrolytes in the drink. While stores sell Bloody Mary mixes, making it at home is so easy and so much more fresh and flavorful. It’s easy to customize them to your liking at home, so I highly recommend you make them from scratch.

While the list of ingredients may seem odd, the flavors meld very well together and turn into a spicy, zesty, and savory cocktail. While popular at brunch, this drink is perfect for any time of the day. You can even make a party of it and have guests build their own Bloody Marys with a table of edible garnishes. For another fun, crowd-pleasing drink, try my strawberry margarita recipe or mudslide recipe!

What You Need to Make This Recipe

Ingredients needed to make a Bloody Mary.

Tomato juice — this gives the Bloody Mary its unique savory flavor. As this is the base of the entire drink, I don’t recommend changing it. Get a high-quality, flavorful tomato juice for the best-tasting cocktail.

Horseradish — hot, spicy, and peppery, horseradish adds an extra layer of heat to this bloody mary recipe.

Tabasco — for a hot kick and a touch of acidity, you’ll need a few dashes of hot sauce. Tabasco is the classic choice but feel free to use a different hot sauce. Every hot sauce has its own subtle flavor, and you can make your drink more sweet, smoky, or fresh by changing the hot sauce.

Worcestershire sauce — it may sound odd to add an umami booster to a drink, but Worcestershire sauce adds richness and complexity to your cocktail.

Vodka — unlike a martini, this is not a spirit-forward cocktail, so you can get away with using a more budget-friendly vodka if you’re making a large batch.

How to Make a Bloody Mary

Set of two photos showing a glass' rim coated in celery salt and horseradish added to tomato juice.

1. Sprinkle the celery salt onto a small plate. Run a lemon wedge around the rim of a pint glass, and then dip the edge in the celery salt until well coated.

2. In the pint glass, combine the tomato juice and horseradish.

Set of two photos showing hot sauce and lemon juice added to the glass.

3. Then, add Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce to the glass.

4. Add fresh lemon juice and pepper to the glass.

Set of two photos showing vodka added to the drink and then garnished.

5. Add the vodka and stir until well combined.

6. Add enough ice to fill the glass of Bloody Mary and stir again. Garnish with celery, olives, lime, or lemon wedge

A glass of Bloody Mary with two olives, lime wedge, and celery as garnish.

Pro Tips for Making This Recipe

If you’re a slow drinker and don’t want a diluted Bloody Mary, chill the tomato juice and vodka beforehand so you can use less ice.
For an even colder drink, chill the glasses in the freezer beforehand.
For a smoother cocktail, strain the drink before serving, so you get the horseradish flavor and not the clumps.
Make the drink virgin by skipping the vodka.
Always use fresh lemon juice instead of bottled lemon juice. It’ll taste more bright and flavorful.
Skewers and cocktail picks are perfect for holding garnishes if you plan on adding more.

Angled few showing the Bloody Mary's garnishes - olives, lime, and celery.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this ahead of time?

You can! If you’re planning a brunch and want to make a batch ahead of time, scale up the ingredients and combine everything but the vodka in a pitcher. Keep the drink in the fridge overnight and add the vodka before serving. I recommend holding off the vodka so your guests can decide how strong they’d like their drink.

What other garnishes can I put in my drink?

The sky is the limit when it comes to bloody mary garnishes. Here are a few more ideas:

Pickles
Bacon
Hot or sweet peppers
Cocktail onions
Cubed cheese
Cooked shrimp
Pickled jalapeños
Marinated artichoke hearts
Beef jerky
Pepperoni sticks
Steak bits

What are some variations?

Instead of vodka, use tequila for a Bloody Maria.
Use gin instead of vodka for a Red Snapper.
Use V8 Juice instead of tomato juice for another layer of flavor to the base.
Add a drop of liquid smoke to give the cocktail a subtle smoky flavor.

Where did this originate?

The Bloody Mary is often credited to have originated from Harry’s New York Bar in the 1920s by bartender Fernand “Pete” Petiot. If the bar sounds familiar, it’s because the bar is also where the Sidecar came from. The drink was originally a combination of vodka and tomato juice that Pete would serve American expats. Other stories are that the drink was created and named after Queen Mary I of England, or Mary Pickford, a movie star.

If you’ve tried this Bloody Mary recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!