A good Bloody Mary is mostly about the mix. We make ours from scratch every morning so it tastes like tomato instead of canned juice.
The base is fresh-pressed tomato juice (we use San Marzano canned tomatoes blitzed with a strainer to remove seeds and skin — the consistency is the right thickness without being weird). Into that goes Worcestershire, a generous shake of celery salt, fresh-grated horseradish, lemon juice, and a couple of dashes of hot sauce. Black pepper, finely ground.
Vodka — we use a clean Polish potato vodka — goes in last. Stirred gently with ice, never shaken (shaking aerates the tomato juice and ruins the texture).
The garnish is what makes it a Bloody Mary instead of a tomato cocktail: a celery stalk, a lemon wedge, a green olive, sometimes a pickled bean if we have them. We're not the kind of bar that puts a slider on top — but we won't judge you for asking.
$12. Order it before the eggs benedict.
