Half and ounce, maybe 34, will be plenty without over powering all the other delicious flavors.
Some people like a bright, acidic Bloody, while others seek heat.
Clam it UpUnless you have a shellfish allergy, clam juice should be in your Bloody.
Funnel into one of those glass IKEA bottles and shake, shake, shake.
If you want a thicker mix,swap out the pickle juice for pureed pickles.
Now that weve covered the basics of booze and mix, lets have some fun with skewered snacks.
There are a few categories youll want to fill:
Pickled ThingsAll the pickled things.
But again, there is no olive that doesnt work in a Bloody.
ProteinsThis is where it gets really American, so hold on to your pancreas.
CitrusLimes if youre using tequila or mezcal, lemons for everything else.
RimmersA Bloody Mary just doesnt look complete without a little something along the edge of the glass.
If youre garnishing with shrimp, get some Old Bay on there.
If you really want to get trashy fabulous, consider using my secret shame: a ramen seasoning packet.
You may think weve covered all the Bloody basics, but you would be wrong.
There is one very important element to your bar, and it is very saucy.
You Saucy Thing
Liquid add-ins are the true heroes of the Bloody Mary bar.
When picking sauces, there are three main flavors youll want to provide.
I also highly recommend kimchi paste and sambal oelek, which perform double flavor duty by providing heatandumami.
AcidicLemon juice provides great brightness, but sometime you just need to brine about it.
(Again, Trader Joes cornichons work real well here.)
Now you are ready.
Go forth my friends, go forth and build the best Bloody Mary of your life.
Photos bySusan Lucas Hoffman,Eli Duke, andDavid Ashleydale.
