The Bloody Mary cocktail has been around since the early 1900s, when Russians escaping the revolution in their country, fled to France and brought their beloved vodka with them. At a popular Paris bar, Harry’s, the bartender thought their spirits were tasteless.
Around this same time, tomato juice was also introduced to the bartender, which was called “Tomato Juice Cocktail” by the liquor-starved Americans who flocked to the Parisian bar during Prohibition.
And the rest, as they say, is history…
I think it’s about time to modernize this little classic!
Are you a “Juicer?” Do you “Juice?”
Willams-Sonoma has a great line of juicers that I’ve been drooling over
Doesn’t that look like fun! These juicer photos are from Williams-Sonoma
With people becoming more and more health conscious and eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, it only makes sense to be drinking them too~
So I decided to try making my own tomato juice for this Labor Day BLT BBQ Bloody Mary
The new slow masticating and whole food juicers are the ultimate juicing applicances, they do all the hard stuff for you and squeeze every ounce of goodness out of your fresh foods. They are designed for quiet efficiency and ease of cleaning
BUT, I don’t have one so I had to do things the hard way 🙁
The skins will slide right off if you put tomatoes in boiling water for 60 seconds
Then I cored them and put them in the food processor
with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar
Even after pulsing I had seeds, chunks and it wasn’t all that appealing to me…
the new style juicers will take care of this part handily
Here is where you have to start tasting. Try to stay out of the vodka, and just taste the mixer at this point 🙂
I added some canned bloody mary mix to my tomato puree, then a dash of Worcestershire, 1 tsp of BBQ sauce and some salt and pepper
I rimmed the glass with fresh Bacon Salt. You can easily make a small batch by combining a strip of finely diced bacon with kosher salt or you can buy flavored salts
Williams-Sonoma has some wonderful flavored salts here
BLT skewers make an irresistible and tasty garnish
And there you have it, the classic Bloody Mary, made Southern Style!
Just in time for International Bacon Day, Saturday and Labor Day on Monday!
I will say that using fresh tomatoes in this drink really made a flavor difference…
So I am definitely going to need a juicer!
Pop over to Williams-Sonoma here, and check out all their juicers. which one do you like? Please leave me a comment if you have a juicer or can recommend one~
Labor Day BLT BBQ Bloody Mary
Ingredients
- 2 oz Vodka [optional]
- 6 oz freshly squeezed tomato juice Bloody Mary Mix or pureed fresh tomatoes or combo
- dash Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tsp BBQ sauce
- pepper to taste
- 1 slice crisp bacon
- 2 grape or cherry tomatoes
- 1 slice thin bread toasted and quartered, and quartered again
- 1 crisp lettuce leaf
- 1 T mayonnaise
- 1 egg white
- Bacon salt or Williams-Sonoma Grilling Salt
Instructions
- Paint rim of glass with egg white with your finger or small brush. Apply bacon salt or grilling salt either with your fingers or dip rim of glass into salt. I had to use my fingers to get the “heavy” bacon salt to adhere.
- Combine Vodka with tomato juice, Worcestershire, BBQ sauce and season to taste. Pour cocktail over ice in a tall glass.
- Spread mayo on toast quarters and make mini BLT skewers with toast, bacon pieces and lettuce. Place atop glass
Thanks so much for sipping with me today! Coming up next week I will show you how to paint tomatoes~
for more Bloody Mary ideas click on the links below
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