cocktail review no. 44 - Bloody Maria

Yes, I'm late. But bear with me. There's a method to my laziness.

For reasons which will become readily apparent in the next post, I feel the need to blog about a particular drink.

It took me a while to get into the Bloody Mary fold. But as soon as I did, I grabbed the nearest sheep and sank my fangs into its—

Well, let's just say that I've grown rather fond of Bloody Marys, shall we?

Your typical pasture-grown Bloody Mary consists of vodka, tomato juice, a little black pepper, some lemon juice, some Worcestershire sauce, and a celery stick. You can put pretty much anything spicy or savory in there, though. Some people add things like celery salt, olives, limes, horseradish, even fancy garnishes like cucumber and cocktail shrimp. Me, I like to keep things simple. Pepper, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco...maybe an oyster. Don't need much else.

A Bloody Maria is simply a Bloody Mary, only (as you culture-savvy people in the audience may already have divined) made with tequila in place of vodka.

I obviously can't show you a picture of a Bloody Maria, because it would look rather similar to a Bloody Mary. But trust me when I say it's bloody delicious. Particularly if it's made right, i.e., with a lot of tequila and not too much tomato juice. I like to taste the booze, myself.

Oh, hell, here's a picture anyway.

There's this lovely little Mexican restaurant I frequent (more about that in the next post) whose proprietor-cum-bartender mixes such amazing drinks, with such attention to artistic integrity, and such a heavy hand, that it's a wonder the entire cocktail-loving population of greater Los Angeles hasn't descended upon his establishment, clamoring for a margarita or a Cuba Libre.

Anyway, here's the recipe.

• 1½ ounces tequila
• 4 ounces tomato juice
• 1 ounce lemon juice
•  ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 1 dash Tabasco
• 1 stick of celery
• 1 cocktail olive

In a highball glass half-filled with ice, combine the tequila, tomato juice, lemon juice, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco. Stir well and garnish with the celery stick and the olive.

Okay, okay, you don't really need an olive. But my parents buy these splendiferous cocktail olives (Mezzetta brand): green, stuffed with garlic. Fantastic in a martini, and even better in tomato-juice-and-Tabasco solution. Whereas vodka will merely soak up the lemon, tomato and pepper sensations the Bloody Mary provides, the Bloody Maria's tequila base shows through solidly, providing a spicy backing to the prodigious skills of Worcestershire. And me, I like tasting booze, as I mentioned. So if you're (ahem) somewhat heavy-handed in the application of liquor to this cocktail, and you wind up with considerably more tequila than tomato juice, that's only to the good. Your drink will be even more delectable; the ancillary flavors will supplement and not overwhelm; and let's face it, you'll feel a lot more gay after you polish the drink off.

So, mix, sip, and enjoy! Whether playing the role of hair-of-the-dog or the classy evening cocktail, a Bloody Maria makes for a nice change from the straightforward Bloody Mary and throws you into more exotic realms. Like Honduras (to which Miss H and I might soon be traveling; more on that later, too).

¡Salud!