Perfect Bloody Mary

I enjoy a Bloody Mary. If you have not had one before it’s a vodka-based cocktail and the main “mixer” is tomato juice. What you put into it after that is sort of up to you but it’s usually a selection of spices and seasonings. If you aren’t a drinker (or you are designated driver) a Virgin Mary is equally lovely – it’s the same cocktail, minus the vodka.

If you listened to episode 54 of the iMake podcast, Haut Maison, you’ll recall that Charles and I had the pleasure of interviewing Katherine from Haut Maison Liqueurs. Haut Maison is a local company, a husband and wife team, producing gorgeous liqueurs. Charles and I tasted some of the liqueurs, which were lovely by the way, and we also tried a little something that Katherine was experimenting with – horseradish vodka. This weekend, a limited run of Haut Maison Horseradish vodka hits Guernsey shops. Only 150 bottles have been made and Charles and I were lucky enough to receive a bottle as a gift from Katherine (see below, the card is by a fabulous local artist, Caroline Cummins).

Horseradish Vodka and tomato juice seemed to be a match made in heaven, so last night, I took a bag full of ingredients round to some friends and we had a tasting session! The resulting Bloody Mary was amazing! My perfect Bloody Mary contains:

• Horseradish vodka (although of course, you can use the normal stuff)
• Tomato juice
• Worcestershire sauce (lots)
• Celery salt
• Hot tabasco
• A little black pepper
• A stick of celery to garnish

Another nice addition is a pinch of wasabi power. Some people like to add a slice of lemon or lime. Yum! I didn’t bother with a cocktail shaker although the benefit of using one is that everything blends a lot better (if you just pop everything in a glass and stir, the celery salt tends to clump a little, but I don’t really mind). The horseradish vodka had an amazing kick and worked perfectly in the cocktail.

One of my favourite lifestyle blogs,  A Beautiful Mess, has several interesting alternative Bloody Mary recipes. Hop over to the website and use the search function to have a look.

Cheers!