The queen of homemaking says mixing this brunch staple at home is surprisingly straightforward.
If you’re a passionate host, you may have experienced this conundrum: You’ve put so much love and effort into planning a lavish brunch that you’ve neglected refreshments. You sigh and add sparkling wine and supermarket orange juice to your shopping list so that guests can assemble mimosas at will. After your event ends, you’re grateful that you’ve had fun, but you feel a tinge of regret about the unremarkable beverages.
To prevent remorse, it may be time to integrate a Bloody Mary recipe into your repertoire. After all, the Bloody Mary is a bonafide icon. As a rare savory cocktail, it’s the perfect accompaniment to a cheesy omelet or biscuits and gravy. And as an incredibly customizable beverage, you can make as many additions or subtractions as you wish — there’s a reason you see wild Instagram posts of Bloody Marys being served with whole shrimp or even a small hamburger balancing on the glass rim.
Since we’re talking about a timeless drink, it was only appropriate to turn to Martha Stewart for advice. Since she’s previously offered perfect fluffy egg advice, we trust her with breakfast-related needs. Plus, her version includes little touches like real pressed garlic and fresh celery sticks. These subtle touches make the cocktail brighter and fresher without straying too far from the traditional flavor profile.
Plus, once you grow comfortable you can use this recipe as a blueprint. As mentioned, the Bloody Mary is famously amenable to a huge variety of garnishes and ingredients. If you’re a spice fan, you can up the hot sauce, add a jalapeño garnish, or rim your glass with Tajin (a lime-infused spicy salt that often finds its way into micheladas). If you don’t have vodka, you can use tequila to turn it into a Bloody Maria. And if your guests aren’t in the mood for alcohol, a virgin Mary is pretty tasty, too (if you’re a tomato juice fan).
Martha Stewart’s Bloody Mary
Ingredients
4 cups tomato juice
Juice of 2 large lemons
1 to 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 heaping tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 1/2 cloves garlic, passed through a garlic press
2 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
Unflavored vodka, to taste
Lemon wedges, for serving
Celery sticks, for serving and munching
Instructions
Place tomato juice in a large container with a tight-fitting lid. Add lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, garlic, pepper, and Tabasco; shake vigorously. Taste, and adjust for seasoning; the mixture should be quite spicy.
Pour one part vodka and three parts Bloody Mary mix over ice in a shaker. Shake well. Pour into glasses.
Squeeze a wedge of lemon over drink (do not subsequently stir or shake drink), discard used wedge. Garnish with a large stick of celery (reserve extra stalks for munching) and a large lemon wedge.
