Unpopular Opinion: I'm not a Bloody Mary girl.
I am however a big fan of day drinking (I see you mimosa). Especially the type of day drinking that starts first thing in the morning. Something fun is going down- a sunrise tailgate during football season, vacation, out of town visitors, you name it- it's a good time waiting to happen!
Another good time waiting to happen was anytime I was hanging out with one of my college besties, Ann. She was the social chair of our sorority, the bartender at the most popular bar in our college town, the most hilarious roommate always burning new CDs with fun songs and the best to gossip with. She was also the only person that could make a Bloody Mary that I not only would tolerate, but loved.
We lost Ann a couple of years ago, and I miss so many things about her, the least of which is her Bloody Mary Mix, but it was her birthday this week and I miss her and in an effort to keep her a part of things (she would never want to miss out) I'm sharing her coveted Bloody Mary Mix recipe. Don't worry, I got permission to share it when I put together a cookbook years ago, so I know she'd be down to sharing her secrets.
Ann's Bloody Mary Mix
The juice of 1 "medium" sized jar of kosher dill pickle spears
4-5 Tbl. A-1 Steak Sauce (has to be A-1, don't use anything else like Heinz 57)
Big can of tomato juice
3 Tbl. lime juice
3-4 Tbl. Worcestshire sauce
About 5 good "shakes" each of:
Garlic powder
Cajun seasoning
Onion salt
Celery salt
Tabasco sauce
Optional Garnishes:
Black Pepper (kind of a must for on top)
Lime slices
Pickles
Asparagus
Celery stalks
Slim Jims
Olives
Use good vodka! Don't overdo it and pour too much- easy to do since the Mix tends to overpower the taste of vodka. Happy Boozing!
Notes: These measurements are all approximate, since I never measure, I just throw it all in. You'll want to adjust it to your tastes. Maybe add the ingredients slowly so that you can keep tasting and adjust the amounts as you go.
I hope life offers you up one of those perfect day drinking opportunities soon and I hope you get to enjoy a Bloody Mary with an "Ann" in your life. Those are great days to be cherished!
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