Ingredients
- Fine sea salt, celery salt or smoked salt
- Ice cubes
- 50ml Bloody Mary-infused vodka (see below)
- 125ml fresh tomato juice with a pinch of salt, or shop- bought tomato juice
- 2 tsp lemon juice, plus extra for rim of the glass (optional)
- For the Bloody Mary-infused vodka (makes 700ml)
- 700ml vodka
- 200g fatty cooked meat (bacon works well), chopped
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp Tabasco
- 10 whole black peppercorns
- 1 celery stick, roughly chopped
- Half an onion, roughly chopped
- 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 2 pieces pared lemon rind
- For the garnish (use whatever you have)
- Lemon wedges
- Celery stalks
- Red pepper slices
- Asparagus spears
- Green beans
- Grilled bacon rashers
This is a vodka-based Bloody Mary, but you can substitute the vodka for gin if you’d prefer. Infusing the vodka for the cocktail is great way to pack flavour punch. It’s good to remember that alcohol is a solvent that strips flavours from anything it’s put in contact with; this is best proven with the peppercorns and meat in this recipe. Leftover Bloody Mary-infused vodka can be used as a marinade for meats, base for mussels or clams in a stew, or in spaghetti sauce.
First, make the infused vodka. Decant your vodka into a 2-litre container and add the remaining ingredients. Allow the mixture to infuse at room temperature for 4-5 hours then put in the freezer for at least 12 hours.
Strain the liquid and discard the solids. You now have spiced bloody Mary-infused vodka.
To make your cockltail: Rub lemon around the rim of the glass and dip it in some salt. Put some ice in the glass, pour in the bloody Mary-infused vodka, tomato and lemon juice, and give it a good stir. Finish with the garnishes.
