How to make a restaurant-style Bloody Mary recipe

A Bloody Mary is the quintessential brunch beverage. This restaurant-style Bloody Mary recipe has multiple 5 star ratings and is easy to prepare. You can customize it to your personal preferences and it is even better when made ahead.

This pitcher drink makes a big batch and it’s the best I’ve ever had. It has a delicious flavored rim for extra zing in every sip.

You may also like my Chambord champagne cocktail and my apple cider bourbon cocktail. For ease of browsing, you can find all of my cocktail recipes in one place.

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, which if I’m being perfectly honest, can be dangerous.

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.

The Best Bloody Mary Recipe

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

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.

If you’ve ever been out to brunch and been served a watery, sad excuse for a bloody mary, those days are over. We’re going to make a 5 star bloody mary recipe that packs a punch. 

The best part about making your own mix is letting it sit and infuse in the fridge. I like to let it sit overnight so when I make the drinks the following morning, it is so full of flavor and so very delicious.

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 Bloody Mary recipe.

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

• Tomato, or Clamato juice for a Bloody Caesar
• Vodka
• Fresh lemon juice (not the bottle)
• Grated horseradish
• Celery salt
• Your favorite hot sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• 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 and a wedge of lemon are perfection.

If I had pickled beans or pickled okra, that would’ve also made an appearance. Most importantly, use what you personally enjoy.

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”. In my book, it’s a valid excuse for making a pitcher of bloody Marys.

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 can make it exactly how you like it.

How to make a Bloody Mary

The best part of pitcher drinks like these is how easy they are to make. 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 “Bloody Mary Mix”. If time allows, let it sit for a couple of hours in the fridge. Your cocktails are now ready to serve.

Used to make a restaurant-style Bloody Mary

• 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.

Make a proper brunch

We’ve made the most amazing bloody mary drinks, now we need some food to go with them. 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
• Baked Eggs in Mini Bell Pepper Cups – low carb/keto option!

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Thanks for stopping by! Have a delicious day 🙂

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