At Kowaluska, we were having a team session to make some custom packaging, strategize, and socialize. Since we do absolutely nothing the easy or fast way at Kowaluska, we ventured to make the best bloody mary possible. Our recipe below is the result of our combined experience attempting to create a Bloody mAIRy. We ended up with the freshest and most flavorful bloody mAIRy. The only downside was that it did cut into our working time. But hey, Sunday working sessions are all going to come with their compromises, and this was one with which we were totally okay.
First, let's talk about horseradish. In our opinion, more is better. Admittedly, this was my first time using and preparing fresh, raw horseradish. It will now be the end of me ever using horseradish from a jar. If you have ever cut a carrot, ginger, parsnip, or just about any other root vegetable, it's that simple. Start by cutting or peeling off the outer layer of the horseradish, once it stops looking like dirt on the outside, you're good. Next, take a grater and coarse grate the horseradish. Chopping into small pieces will work as well, but make sure you cut across the fibers of the root. Next, put the chopped horseradish in a food processor with about 1/4 cup of white vinegar (I had to use red wine vinegar because I didn't have any white vinegar, and it seemed to be just fine). Pulse in the food processor until it is finely chopped. Feel free to add additional vinegar until you get the desired consistency. I started with a piece of horseradish that was about the size of a tennis ball and ended up with about a cup of prepared horseradish. Scoop it into a container for later. That's it, you're done with the horseradish. Take this time to clean up your work area, you won't need the grater or the food processor anymore, so take a few minutes and get everything cleaned and put away.
Tomatoes love salt. I started with 8 medium sized tomatoes and ended up with 4 cups of fresh tomato juice. Take out your blender. Cut the stem part off the tomatoes, quarter them, and toss them into the blender. Blend the tomatoes for about 15 seconds. Next, chop ¼ cup onion and add to the blender and pulse until combined. Use a fine mesh strainer and pour the tomato juice through. You will need to continually stir around the strainer to help push the liquid through. Once you have just the pulp remaining, pour the juice back in the blender. Now, let's add some flavor. Squeeze the juice of 5 limes into the blender, add 4 tablespoons of the horseradish mixture, 1 teaspoon celery salt, 2 tsp freshly ground pepper, 3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, 3 teaspoons of hot sauce. In this one, we used Diya hot sauce, it is very fresh tasting and the perfect amount of heat and 1 teaspoon of salt. Blend. Pour the mixture into a pitcher and let it chill in the fridge while you get the details ready. But, before you start working on the details, clean up.
Bloody mAIRy garnishes can be wide ranging, but again, tomatoes love salt, so we went with some of the usual suspects. Olives, pickles, bacon, and of course celery. Have fun with the garnishes, be creative and experiment with what looks good and what you and your guests prefer. Details matter.
To build the drink, start by filling your Kowaluska OurGlass tumbler about 3/4 full with ice. Give it a few seconds to melt off and pour out the excess water. Then, pour 2 oz of your favorite vodka (or tequila) over the ice. Next, stir the bloody mAIRy mix and pour over the ice and vodka. Leave about 3/4 of an inch at the top of the cup so the garnishes don’t cause your drink to overflow. Give the drink a stir with a celery stick and arrange the rest of your garnishes as desired. As with most drinks, preferences change by the person, so feel free to add additional hot sauce or horseradish depending on what you prefer. Finish with an additional grind of pepper on top. Enjoy!
Until next departure
Matt
Recipe for Kowaluska Bloody mAIRys
4 cups strained fresh tomato juice puree
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup freshly chopped onion
1 tsp celery salt
Juice from 5 limes, freshly squeezed
3 tsp Diya hot sauce
4 Tbsp fresh horseradish/vinegar mixture
1 tsp salt
2 tsp freshly ground pepper
Garnish (optional but preferred)
Bacon
Blue cheese stuffed olives
Small dill gherkins
Lemon and lime wedges
Celery