As in, “come for the bacon, you know you want it.”
Yes, the uber-trendy ingredient of 2009 has been the most popular part of brunch at my house for the better part of a decade. Every year I cook at least 5 lbs of it and it disappears like sharks into the swirling chum. This is no fancy-schmancy bacon, nor it even my own homemade stuff, just plain old Farmer John, cooked to a crisp. It’s gone within minutes of hitting the chafing dish.
There’s no recipe for me to share here, just my recommendation for a successful brunch; cook bacon and they will come.
So, instead I’m going to share with you the other thing people always comment on; my homemade Bloody Mary mix which I’ve been told “kicks ass.” And that’s not about a generous pour of vodka either, it’s about the spicy/salty/umami taste of the mix itself.
Personally, I like to drink it plain because I don’t like vodka, though this time I’m thinking of sneaking some tequila into mine. It’s been a rough month.
Ingredients
Homemade Bloody Mary Mix
3 Tbsp dijon mustard
3 Tbsp worchestershire sauce
2 Tbsp prepared horseradish
2 Tbsp hot sauce (like Tabasco)
2.5 oz lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1.5 oz lime juice (about 2 limes)
2 Tbsp olive brine
1 tsp celery seed
2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 tsp kosher or sea salt
64 oz tomato vegetable juice
Mix all of the ingredients together except the tomato juice. It should yield about 1.25 cups of mix. Add as much or as little to the tomato juice as you prefer. I usually start with about 1/2 cup of mix for every quart of juice. Add your preferred alcohol, or drink it as a Virgin Mary.
At the bottom of the post is a picture of my “Bloody Margarita” with tequila instead of vodka.
Notes about ingredients
Tomato Vegetable Juice; most Bloody Mary mixes use canned tomato juice, and that’s fine, but I prefer a tomato vegetable juice like V-8 or the one from Trader Joe’s which is what I usually use now. It has more flavor. If I had canned some of my fresh tomato juice this summer, I would certainly consider using that instead. But given that fresh tomatoes are not in season right now, I’ll stick with the tomato vegetable juice.
Horseradish; The recipe calls for prepared horseradish (yes, the stuff in the jar), but if you can find fresh horseradish root, you could use that, just make sure it’s grated very fine, and adjust the amount to your personal taste.
Olive brine; this is the stuff out of a jar of good green olives. I have a bottle of “dirty martini” olive brine so I used that rather than leave my olives dry in the jar.
Bloody Margarita
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This is fabulous! Thanks for sharing your recipe. I’ve never tried to make this from scratch but hubs the Bloody Mary King so I’ll have to give it a whirl! Great photography as well!
Love a good bloody mary! And love your comment about leaving out the vodka – for those of us who might need a tad of detox after a glorious holiday season. I sometimes add beef broth and heat for a heartening soup on a wintry day
Love your blog, will connect on Twitter.
Happy New Year!
Perfect timing! I love Bloody Mary’s and well given the time of year they are my favorite hangover cure. Looks delicious. I haven’t used horseradish in mine before, but my mouth is already watering thinking about it. Hopefully I won’t need it, but I definitely will enjoy it
Happy New Year!
How long do you think the recipe would last – minus the tomato juice – in the fridge, so that I may use it over a period of time?
I’m not sure. Maybe a couple of weeks. I think the only thing which might go bad would be the fresh juices. You could easily halve the recipe too.
I made this. Yes, I tried this today following the exact steps in your recipe. It’s wonderful. Thanks.
Hahahahaha! You really are ahead of the curve. My favorite day-after meal is pepperoni pizza where the grease is sliding off the slice and onto my arms. THAT is the ultimate hangover cure. Although the thought makes me sick sober.
Didn’t need it this year. I had my half glass of wine in the honest-to-god crystal goblet my husband bought me for my birthday and passed out at 9:30. My daughter was up til 11:30. =:D
I don’t know if I could do a Bloody Mary… seems a bit like sipping on alcoholic pasta sauce.
Well, I guess you have to like tomato juice. It’s so spicy and flavorful, you don’t really taste the alcohol much. I did have mine with Tequila and I must say, it was pretty tasty!
Oh yeah, and my friends have taken to calling the party “baconfest” LOL.
Ive been experimenting with alot of various recipes the owners call the best, but this is by far my favorite. Im making a big jug of it with the booze in it, and giving it to my brother for his b-day today, along with cocktail onions, huge olives, and my sister is getting him 2 beautiful goblets just perfect for marys!!!! he is on his own with celery!!!! Thanks for sharing this perfect recipe, I can stop my frantic search now…………ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh………..cheers
Wow! Thank you so much for letting me know!
Have you ever canned your bloody mary mix? My husband and I have a very large garden with a massive amount of fantastic tomatoes this season. We have already juiced 3 gallons and are ready to make the bloody mary mix, but would like can so we have enough through the winter (and entertaining through football Sundays and the holidays). Thanks!
No, I’ve never canned it, but if you have experience doing it, I assume you could try. However, I don’t know if you’d need to cook it first before canning and I can’t say as to how that would change the flavor. I suppose you could just can the juice and make the bloody mary mix with it later, as needed.
I’d STONGLY suggest freezing not canning it. I make a LOT of tomato juice and freeze it every year and tastes almost as good as fresh…real close. Canning can’t compete. I would heat the juice however until just simmering then freese, juice only, and add everything else fresh later. I think you’ll be surprised at how good it works!
btw ….testing the bloody mary mix this afternoon…online looking up recipes and this looks great! thanks
Dude, when I found this recipe while grocery shopping, I got what I needed and made this for the misses. She absolutely loves it. Said it was the best bloody mary she ever had. Good job my friend with your winner.
I live in Gillette, WY and we have a tradition as well called Wyoming Cowboy football. The drive from our house to Laramie takes about 3 1/2 hours. There is a spot in the road that we always make a point of visiting. The Shamrock Bar. The Shamrock is quite a “let’s call it rustic” place with a huge fireplace which has a hole in the wall next to it big enough to throw a cat through, floors of wood rivaling a stack of lumber at a lumber yard, etc. The place serves the best Bloody Mary we have had. they serve theirs with a slice of dill pickle. I am anxious to try your recipe and am hoping it is as good. We like to put pickled asparagus in our Bloody or green olives or more. We also call a Bloody with Tequila a Bloody Maria. Thanks for the recipe I hope to sip one this weekend! Cheers and GO POKES!
Made these tonight except used pickled jalepeno juice instead of olive juice…SO good!
whoo hoooo!!! by goerge, i think you might have saved the day. every x-mas i make homemade khalua, takes about 2 weeks in the dark and a shake daily, and collect unigue glass bottles to put it in and give to my closest friends for x-mas. well… this saturday we are getting together and i did not get the khalua done yet. sooo…., the hubs said, “wonder if you can make homemade bloody mary mix” as we were having a late morning bloody mary and all the store bought was gone. thank you so much! after all day at the wineries saturday, waking up sunday at the bed & breakfast, i am sure the girls will start the day out with bloody marys. yeahh!!!! i let ya know the reviews . thanks again, gg
What a great mix of flavors! Just made up a batch and it’s splendid by itself. I will try it with vodka and/or tequila later. Thanks for sharing!
This is a terrific recipe and really easy to make. I used pickle juice ’cause I had no brine and it came out delicious. I made a whole bottle of it by pouring out a glass of juice and then pouring the mix into the bottle. I’ve been living on Virgin Mary’s for the past few days. For those on a diet or trying to quit smoking (which I am), this is a great, low calorie way to keep your mouth happy.
Virgin marys are a great idea for those on a diet. I just may have to whip up a batch!
I just made this tonight and I think it is very good. However, for my taste the next time I would either reduce or remove the mustard.
Absolutely divine. I made this for a brunch I was having this weekend. I made the mix the night before and the next morning, I added it to some tomato puree that I had canned this past summer. It was indeed fantastic. I will certainly make this again. Everyone, including myself loved it!
Thanks for letting me know!
this is the best bloody mary mix in the whole f*cking universe. i live in minneapolis, and many a bar claims to have “the best bloodies in town”, and i have tried almost all of them. but none of them even come close to the perfected mix of salty-kick-briny-paradise that is this mix. and the best part about this is, i can stay home in my hungover state and make my own damn bloodies and leave the restauranteurs to their bland bloodies and overcooked eggs.
kudos.
Thanks for the ringing endorsement!
I know it is personal taste but how much mix would you start with for a single serving?
Dianna- I would start with about 6 oz of mix over ice and then add a shot of liquor (or more) to your taste. Frankly, I like mine without the alcohol!
This is an Awesome recipe! I googled because I was canning tomatoes and was trying to figure out something to do with all the extra tomato juice. So I made this recipe and canned it to go with my spicy pickles as a hostess gift or thank you gift. Thanks!
I will try this, though I prefer the “Bloody Pirate”, using Spiced Rum instead of Vodka or whatever.
This truly is a killer recipe! I used V8′s spicy hot vegetable juice and went a little heavier on the olive brine and used our homemade horseradish. This is great as a virgin with a beer chaser. What an awesome breakfast…is it wrong to want to make this as my daily morning launch pad??? Thanks for a great recipe!
Great recipe. I recommend mixing the ingredients and letting them sit in the fridge for a couple of days before serving.
OMG! Delicious. I didn’t have olive juice so split it between peppercini and caper brine and siracha as part of the hot sauce. So delicious. Thanks!
I am a Bloody Mary connoisseur and this recipe if followed yeilds one of the best ever had. Bacon vodka finishes it nicely.
Im a big fan of micheladas (bloody Mary with beer) and have had many made at various bars and restaurants. I made a pitcher of this mix and it is by far the best I have tasted. I drink it with my beer and my wife drinks it without any alcohol and she loves it. Thank you for sharing.
I love a good Bloody Mary Mix but I have a hard time finding one I like, even at restaurants. I have decided to make my own. Thank you so much for you recipe.
I’m a huge fan of the Bloody Mary and this post is truly inspirational! Trust me, I spend a lot of time “studying” (drinking) these things and you’ve got some great ideas. How many different kinds of brines have you experimented with? My go to is usually a pepper or pickle brine.
Try cocktail onion juice. Perfect with this recipe. (I hate olives.)
This is the first recipe I pulled up & I’m so into your story that I’m going to try it for a party I’m having Fri. Minus the bacon (but maybe the next day) lol! Thanks for posting!
I am SO excited that I found your website! You have SO many wonderful recipes…I can’t wait to try them out! I am making the bloody mary recipe tonight…I can’t WAIT!!!!!!!!!!
Vodka has no carbs so you can TOTALLY do the alcoholic version of this Bloody and still not worry too much about putting on weight! I’m about to go test it out myself!
What can i do if I don’t have horseradish right now? I was going to make a virgin just for right now to taste my homemade tomato juice that I made yesterday but notice that I did not have the horseradish nor the lemon juice cause i used the rest for the tomato juice last night. Please let me know.
Thanks Melissa
Melissa- I think you have two options; leave it out (yes, it will taste different, not as spicy) or go to the store.
In all seriousness, if you’re looking for a substitution, unless you have fresh horseradish, I’m not sure what you’d use, but you certainly don’t have to use it.
I just used your recipe to celebrate the start of football season. It was a huge hit. Thanks for such a great mix!
We are going to prepare this tomorrow. Very excited to give it a try. We are canning our own tomato juice. Can we mix the ingredients right into this process? Thanks for your help.
Andrew
Andrew, I’ve never canned it so I can’t say, but if you look through the comments I think others have. I just don’t know how you need to adapt it for canning, sorry.
As a Canadian with a deep love for Caesars (Canada does not do bloody marys, it’s caesars all the way!) moving to NYC has been tough without my homeland staple. I made a jug of this mix though and I have to say, I think I’ll live!
Honestly the best bloody mary I’ve ever had, and I’ve been getting them all over Brooklyn lately trying to find something to compare to my Caesar. This is it!! It’s so different, but so flavorful and satisfying. I add a bit more Worcestershire and horseradish than called for. My husband was overwhelmed at how good it was and swore to always have the ingredients in the fridge to make it!
Thanks so much!
Tanya! SO glad you like it! What is a Caesar? Is it like a Bloody Mary?
It is very much like a bloody mary only with Clamato (Mott’s is the go-to brand in Canada- I haven’t tried the brand I’ve seen in NY yet). It is a celery salt rim, ice, tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, vodka and clamato. Garnished with a lime wedge and celery stalk typically (though my favourite garnish is a spicy pickled bean). Sometimes people put some horseradish in, but mostly we’re all just purists!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesar_(cocktail)
Try pickled okra next time!
Great recipe. So much better then All Recipes and those websites.
This is absolutely amazing. I like how you kept it simple with of the shelf products and the amazing taste! Thank you for sharing this.
Chef, this sounds wonderful!! I will be bartending at a Day of the Dead celebration in a few weeks and need to make 5 gallons of the mix… Do you have a break down of ingredients for a 5 gal. mix? Thanks!!!
Wow, 5 gallons?? No, I don’t have anything like that, but you can scale up. That recipe yields a half gallon, plus about 1.25 cups. So, if you multiply it times 9 you should have enough for 5 gallons (not including any added ice or alcohol).
Woohoo! You had me at “bacon”. Ever since Our first Burning Man in 2010 Bacon Bloody Marys have been a staple. (Ordering a side of extra crispy bacon and sticking it directly in…heaven!) This recipe sounds great! I’ve been searching for one to use this Christmas Day. My boyfriend and I don’t have family in town, so it’ll be our treat as we open presents.
Do you think rimming with lime juice with allow the bacon crispy bits to stick well enough? I’ve always wanted to try a Bloody Rita…
I’ve come up with the idea to make a bacon rimmed bloody! Have you done or seen this?? It came to me as I was swirling a piece around one morning.
Not sure how to get the bacon to stick to the rim. Maybe just garnish it with a crispy strip of bacon like you’d normally do with celery?
Soooo excited to find your recipe! It sounds like exactly what we were looking for in a bloody mary recipe. Thank you and Happy New Year!!
Found this recipe through a google search, and it is great! The juices mixed with the heat of the mustard and horseradish give it a really nice flavor, and I really like the idea of making the mix separate from the juice–never thought of that before, even though it seems so obvious now!
Where I come from we always have a beer chaser with a Bloody Mary….. Most don’t know this… But try it sometime and these look delicious … So will try with my beer chaser!!!! Thanks for the recipe
Made this last night for Easter today. Awesome!! I am a tequila fan and everyone else vodka. The mix was strong so we added an extra 8-12 oz of V8. So great! Thank you!!
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