I must admit that over the years, I’ve become quite the connoisseur of bloody marys. Particularly, spicy bloody marys. I almost always choose the bloody mary over the mimosa when faced with cocktail options at brunch. Paired with all manner of pickled goodies, the savory, spicy bloody mary is, for me, pure perfection on a lazy Sunday morning. This Bacon Bloody features a bright, flavorful bloody mary blend mixed with spicy Bacon and Habanero Vodka. Adorned with grassy celery, pepperoncini, olives and cornichons, this drink might just be the ultimate bloody mary. Continue reading for the cocktail.
The Bacon Bloody
Adapted from Croce's Restaurant & Jazz Bar (no longer in service).
Ingredients
- 3 cups tomato juice
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
- 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
- 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
- Fine grain sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Bacon and habanero infused vodka
- Lemon wedges, for rim
- Kosher salt, for rim
- Pepperoncini, for garnish
- Cornichons, for garnish
- Olives, for garnish
- Celery stalks, with leaves attached, for garnish
Instructions
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Add tomato juice, lemon juice, lime juice, Worcestershire, horseradish and garlic to food processor or blender. Process until smooth and combined. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (I used just under 1 teaspoon of salt), pulsing to incorporate. Transfer to a pitcher and set aside.
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To make the cocktail, have three glasses ready, all the same size. One glass will be used to serve, the other two glasses will be used to "shake" the cocktail.
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Place a tablespoon or so of kosher salt on a small plate. Run a lemon wedge around the glass to wet the rim. Dip the rim of the serving glass in the kosher salt and move around to coat evenly. Set aside.
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Fill one of the remaining glasses completely with ice. Add desired ratio of vodka and bloody mary mix. I filled my glass ⅓ with vodka and ⅔ with bloody mary mix. Carefully, slide the drink back and forth several times between the two "shaking" glasses. This will mix and chill your cocktail.
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Transfer the drink from the "shaking" glass to your prepared serving glass. Garnish with a stalk of celery, pepperoncini, cornichon and olive (the last three speared with a toothpick).
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Gali says
I’ve tried all kinds of vodkas in my life but never a bacon infused one… quite an interesting thing!
Miss Meshow says
Oooooh…cornichons. The first go around I read “chicharones”. This looks like it’s right up my alley. i read your post about the infused vodka a couple days ago and now I’ll just have to make the whole darn thing.
JD says
Looks delicious! Could use a couple drops of All Spice Cafe’s Jolokia Ghost Pepper sauce! 🙂
Brian @ A Thought For Food says
We just got jalapeno infused vodka and have planning our bloody mary concoction. If I ate (or, in this case, drank) meat, I’d be all over this. Great post!
Brandon Matzek says
@Miss Meshow Hahaha, yeah definitely not chicharones. I think this drink has just the right amount of pork already 😉
@JD I wouldn’t recommend adding additional hot sauce to this Bloody Mary; however, that would be a delicious addition to a standard Bloody Mary. Thanks for the tip!
@Brian Haha thanks!
Lisa { AuthenticSuburbanGourmet } says
Now that is a creative Bloody Mary and a must try! Nice photos!! Happy Holidays!!!
ping says
Bacon? It’s one of my fav ingredients but never in a bloody mary. Hmmm … interesting. Lotsa kick too!
Potato Chops and Boneless Chicken says
Wow! I’m a Spicy Caesar girl myself but would happily down a whole jug full of this. The bacon-infused vodka sounds amazing.
Stephanie says
I love love love this combination of ingredients! Anything with bacon gets bonus points in my book, and I love the idea of infusing vodka with bacon and habanero. Plus, the Bloody Mary recipe and garnishes sound fantastic. I’m actually going to go infuse some vodka today (with Buddha’s hand), and although it’s totally different from this, you’ve reignited my excitement for fun homemade cocktails!
Tes says
Wow that looks so interesting! Your photography is so amazing 🙂
Jacqueline says
My boyfriend is going to L-O-V-E this super spicy bacon
infused vodka for his bloody mary….I’m making it tommorrow
morning to give to him for Christmas! I only wish I had seen this
last week so he wouldn’t have to wait to try it……I’m sure it’s
deliscious. Today is my first time on your site, Brandon….I will
be returning frequently! Thank you!
Brenda says
I love a good bloody too! The best bloody I’ve ever had is at Fulton’s at Downtown Disney in Orlando.
Wishing you a new year filled with peace, love and happiness!
xoxo, B
Tracy K says
now this looks like a great cocktail to fire up the new year!
Shari Wakefield says
I’ve returned to work today after 2 weeks in holiday mode – it’s just past 4pm and I really, really feel like a cocktail right now and these look AMAZING!
Flyover Foodie says
I know I’m a little late to this post, but….Bacon Infused Vodka?! This is definitely a “is this heaven? No, it’s Iowa” moment. Awesome!
Brandon Matzek says
@Stephanie Mmm buddha hand citron infused vodka sounds delicious. I just love the smell of citron.
@Jacqueline Thanks for visiting. I hope your BF enjoys the cocktail!
@Flyover Foodie It’s never too late! And yes… this is a little slice of heaven. Given the heat level of this cocktail, I’m thinking a hell metaphor might be more appropriate!
Leah says
This all sounds wonderful minus the horseradish, for me that makes it taste too much like shrimp cocktail sauce. I love the bacon vodka though and the garnishes are fantastic. Looking forward to tasting this lovely concoction!