Bloody Mary Mix for a Crowd
Hosting a large brunch crowd? It’s not a proper brunch without a Bloody Mary cocktail. This spicy recipe is enough for an entire pitcher. Don’t for get the garnishments!
This post was in no way endorsed by Tony Chachere’ s.
The opinions expressed in this post are completely my own.
My husband is a connoisseur of Bloody Marys. I’m willing to bet they are in his top 10 list of things he loves most, right after God, me, our boys, crawfish, and deer season. I’ve learned after living with this man for close to ten years that making the perfect Bloody Mary is an art form. Every detail is important, right down to the garnishes. In fact, there is a running joke among The Husband’s friends that when my husband makes a Bloody Mary, it ends up looking a bit like this.
That is a total exaggeration, of course (sort of). But really, in all seriousness, the man has honed his craft. A few weeks ago, I just stood back and watched him work. That’s when I decided The Husband’s Bloody Mary Mix needed its own blog post.
What is the best type of vodka for a Bloody Mary?
There is no definitive answer for this. It all comes down to budget and taste. It is true that uber filtered vodka (i.e. vodka that has been filtered numerous times) is superior in taste and less likely to give you a hangover, thus the premium price tag to go with it. If you can afford to splurge on higher quality vodka, look at premium brands such as Belvedere, Grey Goose, Ketel One and Chopin. These all fall within the $30 a bottle range.
However, you can still achieve a great Bloody Mary cocktail with a cheaper brand. Popular mid-range vodkas include Absolut, Skyy and Tanqueray. A bottle of one of these brands will run you about $20.
How do You Make a Bloody Mary?
The Husband has never really gotten into the process that goes into creating a blog post. He’s more interested in when I’m going to photograph the end product so he can eat it. Buy ya’ll, once I mentioned I wanted to write about his Bloody Mary mix, his eyes lit up. He was so excited.
It starts with your base. The Husband has experimented with every kind of base imaginable, from fresh tomato juice to V-8. He used to swear by Tony Chachere’s Bloody Mary Mix, but lately he swears by a product produced right here in Mississippi — Oxford Falls Wake up Crabby Bloody Mary Mix . He says it has just the right amount of spices and the flavor is better than any other he’s tried (Trust me, I’ve seen a lot of other brands come through our kitchen).
Since this recipe will serve a crowd, you’ll need a large container to mix everything together. Typically, The Husband mixes all his ingredients together in a giant washed out moonshine Hawaiian Punch container (I kid you not. We are high falutin’ in this house). After you’ve added your base to the container, pour in the entire bottle of vodka, 1 1/2 tablespoons of hot sauce (adjust this to the heat level you want), a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice.
The Husband likes to add garnishments to the drink mix itself for flavor and keep a few on the side to decorate the glass later. Toss in a couple stick of celery cut into thirds, a couple of dill pickle spears and a handful of pimento stuffed Manzanilla (or Spanish) olives.
Now for the secret spicy ingredients — pickled Tobasco peppers. We usually purchase these from our local farmer’s market. You can purchase pickled Tobasco peppers from Amazon. Or, you can substitute these for pickled jalapenos.
A few other tips:
- Making the mix a day ahead of time for the best flavor.
- Always use fresh limes, no matter what. Use a juicer, if you have one, to get every drop.
- Don’t add too much vodka. It will dilute your drink. You can always add more to the individual glasses once you’ve served it up, but you can’t take it out if you add too much.
- The Husband says “shake the hell out of” the mix before serving just to make sure everything is thoroughly mixed. Or, if you are a little more high class than us and opt to use a nice pitcher instead of a
moonshineplastic Hawaiian Punch container, give it a nice stir beforehand. - Use a strainer when pouring. (Read on, you’ll find out why.)
- Get creative with the garnishes! (See above.)
I am in no way endorsing the products I have listed below. However, The Husband demands strongly recommends that for best results, you should not deviate from what I have listed below.
Related Recipes:
Bloody Mary Cocktail for a Crowd
Ingredients
- 1 (32 oz.) bottle Tony Chachere' s Bloody Mary Mix
- 16 oz. 100-proof vodka such as Burnett's
- 2 celery sticks cut into thirds
- 2 dill pickle spears quartered (such as Claussen)
- 10 or so Manzanilla olives stuffed with pimento
- 1 1/2 tablespoons hot sauce such as Louisiana hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 10 or so pickled Tabasco peppers
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice about 2 limes
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients into a large container. Mix thoroughly.
- For best results, prepare up to a day in advance.
- Strain Bloody Mary mix into glasses. Serve over ice, if desired.
- Garnish with additional celery, olives, dill pickle spears, lemon wedges, etc., if desired.