There's only one "real" hangover drink and that is the mighty, the revered, the time-tested Bloody Mary. The words are ironically evocative and arouse taste buds in a Pavlovian response. I rarely salivate, you know, literally. Figuratively now then, but literally? Not very often. But the mere thought or mention of the words Bloody and Mary together holds the power to make me drool.
There are a lot of studies on hangover cures, and why we crave and prefer certain foods and beverages on our mornings after. You can find all that online. Whether or not it really "works" on hangovers, Bloody Marys go down easy. Like a Sunday morning...brunch.
I'm a purist in a few respects. A Bloody Mary needs to involve:
- tomato-based juice (do not get me started on that clam juice aberration);
- lime juice;
- Tabasco® sauce;
- Worcestershire sauce or a vegetarian alternative* (yes, Worcestershire is made from animals: Anchovies);
- horseradish;
- celery salt;
- at least two olives;
- celery stalk;
- pint glass
- Beer back or whiskey back
If a patron/guest specifically requests to omit the beer/whiskey back, offer a shot of something else - even vodka or tequila or ginger ale. It's Bloody decorum. It's not a Bloody anything without a chaser/back of something. Goldschläger is a great zesty and spicy alternative to the traditional beer back, but it's a bit potent (87 proof) for Sunday brunch. Those with access to fresh Vernor's ginger ale: Serve this as a back to Bloody Marys and you'll be a Bloody God/dess. Even people who don't like Vernor's swear by it with Bloody Marys. Plus, Vernor's has more ginger in it than "regular" ginger ale, and ginger is fantastic for easing tummy trouble. Win-win situation. The following is a solid, classic Bloody Mary recipe, but since these are St. Patrick's Day induced ailments, try making it (or your favorite Bloody Mary recipe) with Irish whiskey instead of vodka. And there you have a Bloody Molly. To the uninitiated this might sound a little "off," an odd pairing of flavors. But, I'm pretty sure once you try it you'll add it to your Sunday morning brunch repertoire. (If you want to prepare it as a classic Bloody Mary just substitute vodka in place of the whiskey.)
Bloody Molly
What you'll need:
2 oz. Irish Whisky (eg. Jameson's®)
1/2 lime, juiced
3 drops of Worcestershire Sauce (or animal-free alternative)
3 drops of Tabasco® Sauce
1 tsp. Horseradish Sauce
Tomato Juice/Bloody Mary Mix
Celery Salt
Pepper
Ice
Pint Glass
Celery stalk, Large Green Olives, Cocktail (pearl) Onions, Lime Wedge; toothpick or cocktail sword
Shot glass of light ale/beer, eg. Harp's or Smithwick's
How you'll build it:
Method one:
Fill pint glass with ice. Pour ice from pint glass into a cocktail shaker.
Prepare your pint glass: Fill a plate or shallow bowl with water; Fill a separate plate/shallow bowl with course celery salt; Invert pint glass and evenly dip rim in water, about 1/4" from top of glass; While glass rim is still wet, dip into celery salt.
Pour Irish whiskey, Worcestershire, Tabasco, lime juice and horseradish into shaker with ice. Gently roll (not a martini shake). Pour contents, including ice, into prepared pint glass. Fill glass with tomato juice. Top with ground pepper. Add garnish of celery stalk, large green olives, pearl onion and a lime wedge. Rather than including the pearl onion on a garnish toothpick/sword, the onion can be placed in the bottom of the glass before the contents are added.
Method two:
Fill pint glass with ice. Pour ice from pint glass into a blender.
Prepare a second (presentation) pint glass: Fill a plate or shallow bowl with water; Fill a separate plate/shallow bowl with course celery salt; Invert pint glass and evenly dip rim in water, about 1/4" from top of glass; While glass rim is still wet, dip into celery salt.
Pour Irish whiskey, Worcestershire, Tabasco, lime juice and horseradish into first pint glass (used to measure ice). Fill pint glass ~2/3 full with tomato juice. Pour pint glass contents, into blender and blend until texture is smooth but not watery. Pour into prepared pint glass. Top with ground pepper. Add garnish of celery stalk, large green olives, pearl onion and a lime wedge.
Bloody Marys are one drink where the garnish is more than just a presentation requirement. At a bare minimum a celery stalk, lime wheel/wedge and a couple olives skewered with a cocktail onion are required. That's the very bare minimum. Bloody Marys are usually rated by the quality and quantity of ingredients in their garnish. Often the garnish turns the already stodgy cocktail into a meal. Get out your extra long cocktail swords and be creative. Cheese cubes, shrimp, bacon, ham, peperoni, salami, blue cheese stuffed olives, carrots, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, peppers of all variations, pickle spears, waterchestnuts, radishes...you get the idea. Anything savory that can be skewered can work as a Bloody garnish. Crunchy items like carrots and radishes add a nice texture variation to the drink. The lime wedge/wheel is usually separate from the rest of the garnish because guests often like to squeeze the lime into the drink. If the lime is skewered they have to dissect and/or eat the garnish before they can add a little extra lime to their beverage, so better to just provide a free-range lime garnish. This is why I prefer to mix Bloodys in a pint glass. There's lots of rim-room for the lime, celery stalk and a hefty garnish.
Regardless of the garnish contents, I like to add a fresh basil or rosemary sprig as this provides a pleasant, calming aromatic aspect to the drink.
*Annie's and Edward & Sons Wizard Sauce are great animal-free alternatives to Lea and Perrins Worcestershire, even carnivores like the taste of the animal-free versions.
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