Scary Good Bloody Mary - DC Girl in Pearls

I remember the first time I saw a Bloody Mary: I was watching Will + Grace circa 2001 and Karen Walker (alias: Anastasia Beaverhausen) was walking around holding what looked like a glass of tomato juice with a celery stalk. “Who in their right mind would drink a glass of V8?,” I questioned. Oh, how wrong and foolish 11-year-old me was.

I love a good Bloody Mary bar for brunch, I can load up on funky garnishes to my little heart’s content. By far, my favorite garnish has to be grilled cheese bites. It’s like grilled cheese + tomato soup for adults. Love when my childhood favorites get a fun upgrade.

But while I might load up on hot peppers at brunch, when I make a Bloody Mary at home I rely on a few ingredients and let simplicity take the wheel.

P.S. Do you have a favorite Bloody bar in DC?

Ingredients

Bloody Mary Mix (My favorite is Zing Zang)

Hot Sauce (I opt for Tabasco)

Ground Pepper

Skinnygirl Bare Naked Vodka

Ice

Optional: Pickle Juice (Hear me out, people)

Directions

In a tall glass, fill about 1/4 of the way up with ice.

Sprinkle the ground pepper + a couple of healthy dashes of hot sauce.

Pour in the vodka until it covers the ice.

Optional: Pour in about an inch’s worth of pickle juice.

Fill the rest of the glass with the Bloody Mary mix.

For good luck, I always top off with some more dashes of hot sauce.

Stir and serve.

Okay, time to talk about pickles. You know how I feel about pickles, ours is a love that is deep and long lasting. A favorite weekend errand is to pick up “Hot ‘n Spicy Pickles” from Eastern Market’s In A Pickle stand. The spicy brine and Bloody Mary mix are a match made in cocktail heaven. Trust me on this one. Or you can trust my new boyfriend, he’s got a winning smile.

P.S. Don’t forget to enter my Blue Chair Bay giveaway!