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WHILE STILL POPULARLY served at brunch, the Bloody Mary has now garnered a broader audience and is often seen at
Happy Hours as a pre-dinner cocktail. The drink’s appeal is timeless, although it sells best in the fall and winter. Tall, savory and exuberant, the Bloody Mary is a substantial quaff chock full of garden fresh vegetables, herbs and spices. It’s more like a meal with an attitude than a thirst quencher. Over the past 25 years, the practice of building Bloody Marys from scratch—adding each ingredient directly into the glass in which it’s served—has all but disappeared, in particular because of the difficulty in attaining drink consistency. Typically some bartenders use more of one item than another, while others may leave out ingredients altogether. Add to this the inordinate amount of time it takes to build the drink from scratch and you can appreciate the operational challenges involved.
According to master mixologist and Finest Call’s Director of Drink Applications Dean Serneels, one alternative is making the mix in batches. “Because its such a highly perishable product it’s a good idea to make no more than a gallon of Bloody Mary mix at a time. Non-pasteurized products have a refrigerated shelf life of less than a week. Bartenders should taste test the mix to ensure that product past its prime isn’t served to guests.”
SCRATCH IN A BOTTLE
IF SEARCHING FOR the perfect scratch recipe sounds more involved than time at-hand permits, Serneels recommends using a bottled Bloody Mary mix. “The selection process may require you to taste test several brands, but the result may well be game-changing. Today premium brands have thick, rich bodies, great seasonings and well-balanced flavor rivaling even the most delectable house recipes.”
Even after deciding on a particular bottled mix, Serneels contends there’s no reason why you can’t make a few modifications to make it better suit your needs. Splash in some olive juice, add crushed roasted garlic or lace the mix with a heaping tablespoon of fresh salsa. It’s your specialty, after all.
Bloody Marys are as unique as your signature and speak volumes about your degree of creativity. To make the process more enjoyable and the learning curve less steep, here are a few tips from the pros on creating sensational specialty Bloody Marys.
• CONSISTENCY COUNTS — Where Mary is concerned, thin is not in. To the contrary, a Bloody Mary sporting a rich, thick consistency immediately conveys quality. It suggests the drink is substantial, nutritious and vitamin enriched. Similar to stew, the thicker and heartier the mix, the more life sustaining it is.
• PLAYING WITH FIRE — Some people want a Bloody Mary hot and spicy to the point of being nearly combustible. There are others who prefer to survive the experience fully intact. The concept of hot and spicy is a relative one, so caution needs to be exercised when adding heat, regardless of whether it’s in the form of spice or sauce. It is far easier to add more heat to a Bloody Mary than to calm one down.
• EDIBLE SWIZZLES — Regardless of whether the swizzle is edible or not, stirring a Bloody Mary is part of the overall experience. Yet there’s no law on the books stating you need to stick with celery. Indeed, there are a bunch of fun options, including an asparagus spear, a fresh scallion, a long piece of jerky, a jicama stick, cucumber spears or something like to a Slim Jim.
• CLASS ACT — A trademark of a well-dressed Bloody Mary is a salted rim. A sage practice 
in this day and age is salting half the rim, affording guests the option of moderating how much salt they consume. If given the time, salt glasses in advance, allowing the lime juice and salt combination to harden. Another creative maneuver is adding some black pepper, or crushed red peppers to the salt.
• FINAL TOUCH — A fresh lime or lemon wedge is a standard garnish on a Bloody Mary. Each adds a delightful citrus tang to the drink. But no need to stop there, options include cooked shrimp or prawns, pickled green beans, bleu-cheese stuffed olives, cherry tomatoes, chili pepper rods, sliced bell peppers, speared tomatoes, roasted garlic, cubed cheese, tortilla chips, pepperocinis or small jalapeños peppers.
It’s hard to over do it when it comes to garnish, so don’t be stingy; however, do consider how much volume the garnishes will take up in the drink. It’s a mistake to add so many finishing touches that the drink sloshes over the brim.
DEAN SERNEELS CONTENDS that the secret to a soul-satisfying Bloody Mary lies in the quality and exuberance of its mix. “If you’re looking to promote a signature of the house with ¡la vida loca!, then look no further than the world-class Bloody Mary mixes from Finest Call.”
• FINEST CALL PREMIUM BLOODY MARY MIX — The original version is a franchise performer brimming with pizzazz. FINEST CALL PREMIUM BLOODY MARY MIX is made with the same roster of ingredients as you’d find in a gourmet scratch recipe—namely tomato juice from California’s Central Valley and a secret blend of spices, celery salt, celery seed oil, salt, Worcestershire sauce and vinegar. The mix is lightly peppered with a hearty, altogether engaging personality.
• FINEST CALL LOADED BLOODY MARY MIX — Apparently the working premise behind this mix was “if a little is good, more is better.” Turns out to be absolutely spot-on. Basically Finest Call took all of the good stuff that made their original Bloody Mary Mix so popular and used more of it. Among the additional ingredients featured are basil, lemon juice for fresh citrusy notes, horseradish from California and a jalapeno puree, which boosts the mixes’ heat quotient and contributes to the hearty consistency. The spicy lingering finish is laced with the flavor of jalapeño peppers.
• FINEST CALL EXTRA SPICY BLOODY MARY MIX — Here’s a drink mix for those subscribing to the notion that life’s too short to tolerate boring drinks. Often referred to as a “Texas Style Bloody Mary,” the mix has a building type heat, meaning the more you drink, the hotter the drink becomes. No need to check your pulse with this mix. Its extra kick comes from the added dose of habañero and cracked black peppers. Even when iced and laced with vodka the mix brings a respectable amount of heat.