For A Better Tasting Bloody Mary, Your Mix Needs Fresh Ingredients

When it comes to making the best bloody mary, people have lots of opinions. This is particularly true when it comes to the base of the drink. Should you kick it old school with plain old tomato juice, or mix in touches of carrots, celery, beets, and more by using a blended vegetable juice? Perhaps instead of measuring out and adding in the Worcestershire sauce and various spices, you're content with a premix that has it all. Or, are you like Andrew Zimmern who prefers his bloody marys with Clamato, that blend of tomatoes, spices, and dried clam broth? But, if you really want the tomato flavor to shine at your next boozy brunch, start with the one ingredient that makes blood marys bloody: fresh tomatoes.

Of course, there are many tips for making the best-tasting bloody mary, and people also have their own ways of making the mix with fresh tomatoes. Some will insist the only time to use fresh tomatoes is during the summer when the fruit is at its most flavorful and is also less expensive. You can also use smaller, sweeter tomatoes like Sun Golds. And, if you're willing to spend a little more on your cocktails, you'll get an even deeper flavor from heirloom tomatoes.

The simplest way to make the juice from fresh tomatoes is to puree them and then strain the liquid to remove any remaining solids. You can then blend in the spices or wait until you've chilled the juice. If you're making a truly classic bloody mary that resembles the original recipe, you'll want to add Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, cayenne pepper, salt, and lemon juice to the vodka. Other classic recipes use celery salt instead of table salt and Tabasco instead of cayenne pepper. Some insist the recipe must include horseradish and either pickle juice or brine as well. 

If you really want to skew toward the savory side, try adding a little beef broth to your bloody mary to make a variation known as a bloody bull. Others like their tipple with a taste of the sea so they add oyster juice. In fact, there is one company that even makes oyster vodka to mix into martinis and bloody marys. And we haven't even gotten started on the salts around the glass rim or the garnishes that can make your drink look like a drunken salad.

Whatever your preference — and you probably have one — if you go through the added steps for that fresh tomato flavor, be sure not to cover it up with too many spices, sauces, and garnishes. Who knows? Maybe with all that tomato tang, you may even want to skip the vodka.