The staple of brunch isn’t bacon or eggs. It isn’t toast or bagels. And it isn’t hash browns or English muffins, either. The staple of brunch is and always will be the Bloody Mary. It’s why restaurants that offer “bottomless” bloody mary’s have lines out the door — people just love America’s best morning cocktail. But the obsession has gone so far that bars and restaurants are redefining the drink, for better or for worse.
How to Make a Bloody Mary
The bloody mary, a normal bloody mary, is actually a simple recipe:
- 4 oz tomato juice
- 2 dashes Tabasco sauce
- 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 1 pinch celery salt
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- 2 oz premium vodka (we prefer Ketel One for the bloody mary)
You can add smoked paprika and lime juice for extra flavor, but that in a nutshell is the bloody mary. However, many restaurants, bars and sports stadiums don’t leave the bloody mary at simple. There is a constant race in America to create the biggest, most ridiculous bloody mary ever served. And it’s turning a classic drink into a three-course meal.
Bloody Best (The Nook, Atlanta)
The Bloody Best is a drink at the bottom and a sampler platter up top. It’s 32 ounces of tomato juice and vodka goodness topped with pepperoncinis, jalapeños, tots, steak, a slice of toast, lemon, lime and a hard-boiled egg. Oh, and if that wasn’t enough to fill you up before an actual meal, there’s even a beef straw for drinking.
The Masterpiece (Sobelman’s, Milwaukee)
Did you ever have a blood mary so rich and filling, you needed a beer to wash it down afterward? Sobelman’s thought you might, so the restaurant included one with its flagship bloody mary, The Masterpiece. Wisconsin knows a thing or two about food, and in its biggest city you’ll find a delicious bloody mary in a huge Mason jar, topped with a beef and cheese slider, ready for you to tackle. The Baconado has a skewer of bacon strips.
The Ultimate Bloody Mary (Recipe from Honestly Yum)
You’ll have to make this one on your own, but it’s worth the time and price to create the fanciest bloody mary on the planet. The Ultimate Bloody Mary uses king crab legs, fresh shrimp and thick-cut bacon to create a beverage good enough for the royal family.
Epic Bloody Mary (O’Davey’s Irish Pub, Milwaukee)
You’re going to notice a trend with Wisconsin, which champions the art of putting more food on top of food and drinks. If this bloody mary had a spirit animal, it would be the Incredible Hulk. This drink has everything — sausage, hamburgers, pretzels, cheese, pickles, bacon, popcorn, hot dogs, peanuts and nachos — can we even call it a drink at this point? By the time you’re finished eating the toppings (if you can even finish), your friends will have to wheel you out to the car before you can enjoy the drink.
Whole Chicken Bloody Mary (Score on Davie, Vancouver)
British Columbia is not about to be outdone by Wisconsin. When Score on Davie announced it was putting a whole chicken on its bloody mary, it meant it. This bloody mary is topped with a whole roast chicken, along with buffalo wings, sliders, burgers and a brownie. The restaurant might have to invent some new foods just to make this combo any bigger.