Bloody Mary
A classic Bloody Mary is a perfect anytime drink made with vodka, tomato juice, and delicious seasonings, along with your favorite garnishes!
Why We Love Bloody Marys
- This classic recipe for Bloody Marys is a delicious brunch or get-together drink that can be easily modified with your choice of spirits and mix-ins to make it your favorite drink with your favorite ingredients.
- Simply crafted, Bloody Marys are easy to make for parties or as a single drink. Make ’em by the pitcher and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to party!
- If you’re not a vodka fan, you can swap it for another spirit and enjoy a new drink! Replace the vodka with tequila for a Bloody Maria, or use gin to make a Red Snapper. Keep the vodka and make the drink spicy with the addition of jalapenos for a Spicy Mary!
- We’ve all seen a gorgeously loaded Bloody Mary at restaurants, topped with a pickle, bacon, shrimp, celery, olives, and more, and now you can make this at home for yourself or host a Bloody Mary bar where everyone can create their own Bloody Mary!
What is in a Bloody Mary?
VODKA: You can’t have a Bloody Mary without Vodka! Purchase your favorite vodka for this drink or make Virgin Marys and leave the alcohol out.
JUICE: You will need tomato juice as well as freshly squeezed lemon juice. You can choose regular tomato juice, spicy tomato juice, or go with Clamato to make a Caesar cocktail.
Yes, there is pre-made bloody mary mix available at the store (I recommend Zing Zang if you go this route), but making it at home lets you adjust the mix to your taste and get that perfect harmony of flavors.
SAUCES: For a classic Bloody Mary you will need Worcestershire Sauce and hot sauce, such as Cholula or Tobasco. Pick up a vegan/vegetarian Worcestershire Sauce if needed.
SEASONING: Celery salt and pepper are needed to season this drink.
GARNISH: Keep the garnish simple with a must-have celery stalk or go big with choices like olives, bacon, shrimp, pearl onions, pickled okra, jalapenos, pepperochini, and gherkins!
How to Make a Bloody Mary
Jump to RecipeSTEP 1 Fill a tall glass with ice. Add tomato juice, vodka, lemon juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, celery salt, and pepper.
STEP 2 Stir the drink gently until the ingredients are well combined.
STEP 3 Garnish with your choice of items and enjoy!
Tips & Tricks
- Keep the tomato juice and vodka chilled in the fridge to keep the ice from melting too quickly and watering down your drink. You can also choose to add the drink mix to a cocktail shaker, without the ice, shake, and then pour over the ice in a tall glass.
- Seasoned shrimp, crispy bacon, celery sticks, lemon wedges, fresh jalapenos, jalapeno-stuffed olives, pimento stuffed olives, pepperoncini, gherkins, sweet cherry peppers, pearl onions, grape tomatoes, or pickled okra are all wonderful items to garnish your cocktail with, especially if you are hosting a Bloody Mary Bar!
- Kick up the seasoning in your Bloody Mary with mixins like freshly prepared horseradish, Old Bay seasoning, blackening seasoning, creole seasoning, and pickle juice. You can also rim your glass with the dry seasonings! Sprinkle your choice of seasoning onto a plate, run a lemon wedge or a little water around the rim of the glass, and then turn the empty cup upside down and stick the rim into the seasoning.
- To make a large amount for a party or for hosting a Bloody Mary Bar, add your desired amount of the ingredients into a large pitcher and stir to combine. Keep the mix in the fridge until your guests arrive and then pour over ice, add your garnishes, and serve!
Bloody Mary Recipe FAQ
Why is the Bloody Mary called a Bloody Mary?
With a colorful name like Bloody Mary, you would think there was a great story behind the name but in truth, no one knows for sure the origin of the name.
Some believe the drink was named after Queen Mary Tudor, after her bloody and widespread execution of Protestants in England in the 1500s. Others attribute the name to a server, Mary, who worked at The Bucket of Blood, a saloon in Chicago.
Other stories credit the popularity of this drink to the writer Hemingway, who drank it often as a hangover cure! While we don’t know the definitive answer, we do know that this drink has been popular and a true classic since prohibition.
What is the difference between a Bloody Mary and a Ceasar?
The Bloody Mary and Creasar both use tomato juice as a main ingredient. The Ceasar is a little different, however, in that it uses Clamato, a mix of clam juice and tomato juice. Ceasar cocktails are also the official cocktail of Canada, where it is believed to have been perfected and is still very popular today.
Is a Bloody Mary or a Mimosa healthier?
Mimosas are beautiful and delicious brunch drinks but let’s be real, the Bloody Mary didn’t get its reputation as a hangover cure for nothing. Sure, the orange juice in a mimosa has a lot of great vitamin C but the tomato juice is packed with way more vitamins and minerals, which can potentially help ease a hangover much faster. Both drinks are pretty even when it comes to calories, depending on what garnishes you add, so when it comes to healthier ingredients, the Bloody Mary wins.
Are Blood Marys only for the morning?
A popular drink to help cure hangovers, Bloody Marys were once thought to be morning or brunch drinks only. Today, they are perfect any time of day, especially with the variety of garnishes that can be added!
We’ve all seen giant a Bloody Mary come from the bar, loaded with half a grilled cheese, a few onion rings, and a chicken wing, along with other traditional garnishes, so you know that this drink can be thoroughly enjoyed any time of day!
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Bloody Mary
Equipment
Ingredients
- Ice
- 1.5 ounces vodka
- 3 ounces tomato juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 4 dashes hot sauce
- 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon celery salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Garnishes
Instructions
- Fill a tall glass with ice. Add the vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, and pepper. Stir gently to combine.
- Add your favorite garnishes and enjoy!
Notes
- To make a Bloody Maria, substitute tequila for vodka.
- Turn your cocktail into a meal with even more garnishes like cooked shrimp, cooked bacon strips, cherry peppers, grape tomatoes, pickled okra, gherkins, and jalapeno. Longer garnishes (like celery) can be stuck right into the glass, while small garnishes, like olives and shrimp, do better on a skewer.
- For other add-ins to dress up your Bloody Mary, we suggest prepared horseradish, Old Bay seasoning, blackened seasoning, Creole seasoning, pickle juice, etc.
- Cocktail for a Crowd: Combine 1 1/2 cups vodka with 3 cups of tomato juice, 1 1/3 ounces lemon juice, 4 teaspoons hot sauce, 3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons celery salt, and 2 teaspoons black pepper in a large pitcher. Stir together and chill in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.