I bet I have a bloody mary story with just about every one
of you. They’ve gotten me in more
trouble… and hence, more fun!...than any other drink. I can’t stop drinking them: at the beach, by the pool, during football
games, belly up to the bar nursing a
hangover…”want another bloody mary?”…OKAY!!
I can never say no :(
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| mmmmmmmmm.... |
Preparing for this post, my friends and I did the taste test
first. We tested 3 of our favorite vodkas
that coincidentally we just happened to have on hand —purely in the interest of science—I knew
Absolut would be the one but no need to be hasty…and here’s what happened:
Tito’s: So good, but it has almost no flavor. This equals one thing = dangerous!! All this is gonna do is make you keep drinking
until you’ve had almost the whole bottle and then you’re gonna get sick and all
THAT’S gonna do is make you feel bad and people will make fun of you. Plus, it’s made of corn so it has kind of a sweet finish—save it for the sea breezes and pure mixed drinks where it can
really shine.
NEEEEEXT…
Grey Goose:
Sooooo smooth. Too smooth for
this drink, because really--I just wanna know it’s working. Working to cure my hangover, to make brunch
do-able when your relatives are driving you crazy, to make for the best
tailgating party of the year…I wanna know.
And for the money, it’s not worth wasting it in a drink where the mix is
so overpowering. Save the smoothness that Grey Goose is known for for your
ice cold, shaken martini with 3 bleu cheese olives…
NEEEEEEXT…
Absolut: The
old stand-by. Perfect cost, perfect
bite, perfect perfect perfect for the bloody mary. Perfect.
And I can tell from the first sip that it’s "gonna work".
Now as for mixes, there’s only one we need to talk
about. Back in the day it was Mr. and
Mrs. T’s, which is still good in a pinch like on a plane or in the hotel
mini-bar. I’m never gonna turn it
down. But we’ve evolved. Then after college, I believed V-8 mixed with
fresh lemon and your own spices was the way to go, and we’d mix it in cleaned
gallon milk jugs and each one of us
would get our own for the football game (this is why they get me in so much trouble…lol). All good…until I found Zing Zang.
About 6 or 7 years ago, I discovered this delicous mix and
have been zinging and zanging all over the country ever since. It has all the perfect spices already in it,
and it’s beefy, full-bodied, and tomatoey amazing. If you make your own mix, it won’t be this good.
Promise. Go buy it today!
The drink shown above is served like they used to at Campiello's here in Naples, FL. About 10 years ago, if you ordered a bloody mary, they'd bring it to you with a small pilsner of beer (and if you know enough to ask, they still will). The effervescent carbonation of which is a perfect foil for the thickness of the bloody mary. Serve it like this and you won't be sorry--
So: call some friends,
make brunch, turn on the game, and you have an afternoon worth remembering (or
if it’s really good…NOT remembering…lol). And invite ME…I’d love to join you! :)
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WHAT TO BUY:
1 bottle Absolut vodka, icey cold right out of the freezer
1 bottle Zing Zang bloody mary mix
fresh lemons, cut into wedges
Lawry's seasoned salt
Bud Light
optional:
olives, garlic pickles, pepperoncini, dilly beans, celery
Pour some seasoned salt in a shallow dish. Rub rim of glass with lemon wedge. Dip rim in seasoned salt. Fill glass with ice. Add as much vodka as you'd like, fill remainder of glass with Zing Zang. If you have it, add 1 teaspoon olive juice, and mix well. Add any garnishes you'd like, and finish with fresh squeezed lemon over the top. Serve with a small pilsner of Bud Light on the side.
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| ignore the santa-suite wearing prosecco and the pinot noir in this picture...they were for later :) |
