How to make the best Bloody Mary recipe

A Bloody Mary is the quintessential brunch beverage and I’m going to show you how to make the best Bloody Mary recipe. It has multiple 5 star ratings and it is incredibly easy to prepare. You can customize it to your personal preferences, and it’s even better when made ahead.

I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.

You may also like my Chambord champagne cocktail and my frozen strawberry daiquiri recipe. For ease of browsing, you can find all of my cocktail recipes in one place.

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Why you should make this recipe

You can double or triple the recipe to make a big batch pitcher drink. It’s the best Bloody Mary I’ve ever had, and the delicious flavored rim gives it extra zing in every sip.

• Quick & Easy – Making the best homemade Bloody Mary mix takes less than 10 minutes.
• Versatile – You can swap out tomato juice for Clamato, swap out vodka for tequila and mix up the garnishes.
• Make Ahead – This drink gets even better after a couple of hours in the fridge.

5 star Bloody Mary recipe

I’m usually a two drink max kind of girl and I had two drinks in no time flat. Consider yourself warned, because they go down very easily. This is the best Bloody Mary recipe and one you’ll want to make over and over.

I hesitate to call anything the “best”, because that is subjective. However, it is the best Bloody Mary I’ve ever had.

First things first, we are making it from scratch. The difference is remarkable when you don’t use a store-bought mix. The drink tastes MUCH fresher and brighter.

This recipe is flexible, so you can adjust amounts to make it perfect for your taste buds. You can make it less spicy, or spicier. Add more horseradish, or less, if it isn’t your favorite.

The key to making your own mix is letting it sit and infuse in the fridge. I like to make it the night before, so when I make the drinks the following day, the flavor has really developed. You can adjust everything to suit your personal preferences, to make it the best Bloody Mary for you.

Ingredients

Before we get to the recipe, here is a quick list of what you’ll need to make this drink.

You’ll find the ingredients for the bloody Mary rimmers recipe at the bottom of the post.

• Tomato juice – (or Clamato juice for a Bloody Caesar) – This is the base of the drink, so choose a brand that you like.
• Vodka – The traditional spirit in a Bloody Mary.
• Fresh lemon juice (not the bottle) – Fresh lemon juice brightens up the flavor in this cocktail.
• Grated horseradish – This is what gives the drink its kick.
• Celery salt – Adds great seasoning to the drink. You can substitute with ground celery seed instead of celery salt.
• Your favorite hot sauce – Whatever you have in the fridge is fine. You’ll only need a few dashes.
• Worcestershire sauce – Brings lots of umami flavor to the table.
• Olive juice – from the jar of olives

All about the garnish

For me, a good Bloody Mary is all about the garnish. Celery sticks are clearly mandatory, but a full slice of super crispy bacon, skewered olives, a pickle of some sort and a wedge of lemon are perfection.

This is also a perfect opportunity to clean out the fridge. If you have half empty jars of pickles or olives, they make a great garnish. Think of it as “tidying up”.

Chef’s Tip!

I use decorative 6 inch skewers to hold the garnish for these drinks. To keep in place, I thread it through the celery stick. That keeps the garnish from falling down into the drink.

How to make a Bloody Mary

The best part of pitcher drinks like these is how easy they are to make. They are also best when made ahead.

To make a batch of Bloody Marys, mix tomato juice with horseradish, lemon juice, celery salt, hot sauce, Worcestershire & olive juice in a pitcher.

This is your “Homemade Bloody Mary Mix“. If time allows, let it sit for at least a couple of hours in the fridge.

Mix up the ingredients for the rimmers and coat each glass with this spicy mixture. Set the glasses aside to allow the rim to dry a bit and set up.

Gather your garnishes and arrange the skewers. Add everything to your rimmed glassware.

Fill glasses with ice and pour in the vodka and your Bloody Mary mix.

Bloody Mary rimmers recipe

To add a little extra flavor with every sip, I coat the outside of the glasses with a simple mixture of sea salt, celery seed and cayenne pepper.

You can make your own mixture using whatever you like best.

Best Bloody Mary FAQ’s

Variations and substitutions

The variations on a Bloody Mary are nearly endless. You can swap out garnishes, alcohol and the juice.

• Swap tomato juice for Clamato and make a Bloody Caesar.
• Swap vodka for tequila and make a Bloody Maria.
• Swap in gin for the vodka and now you have a Red Snapper.
• Add tomatillos & green tomatoes instead of tomato juice for a green version.
• Omit the alcohol and have a virgin Bloody Mary.

Make a Bloody Mary bar

Rather than making everyone the same drink,  you can customize them any way you like by setting up as many or as few garnishes as you like.

Make your mix in a big pitcher and guests can pour their own vodka (or tequila if you want a Bloody Maria) and choose their own garnish.

Make a flavored salt rim for the glasses and you have a delicious Bloody Mary that is better than anything you will get in a restaurant because you, and your guests, can make it exactly how you like it.

Helpful tools and equipment

• Highball glasses – I love these tall, beautiful Italian glasses. The perfect vessel for your cocktails.
• Tall, Glass Pitcher – Every well-stocked bar needs a classic pitcher to serve drinks, especially with the holidays only days away.
• Bar glass rimmer – I love this thing. You can do several different rim coatings with this, it has 3 compartments.
• Gherkin-stuffed olives – Yes, you read that right. Olives stuffed with pickles!!! So good.

Serving suggestions

We’ve made the Best Bloody Mary recipe, now we need some food to go with it. Here are a few suggestions for what to serve with them:

• Banana Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel
• Sour Cream Cherry Scones
• Sausage and Potato Breakfast Casserole
• Crispy cheesy hash browns

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Thanks for stopping by! Have a delicious day 🙂

Questions? Send me an email, I’m happy to help. I’d love to send you weekly tips and recipes, so you can get updates about what’s happening in the kitchen!

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