Bloody Mary — Bloody Mary is technically a cocktail but really it's a

A Bloody Mary is technically a cocktail but really it’s a vehicle for whatever the bartender wants. Hot sauce, horseradish, pickle juice, celery salt, bacon — some bars treat it like a salad bar with vodka.

Ingredients

• 2 oz vodka
• 4 oz tomato juice
• 1 oz fresh lemon juice
• 2 dash Worcestershire sauce
• 3 dash hot sauce
• Garnish: heat without more liquid
• Garnish: a celery stalk
• Garnish: lemon wedge

Method

Start by rimming your highball glass with celery salt — run the lemon wedge around the rim first so it sticks. Fill the glass with ice. In your shaker, add the vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire, hot sauce, celery salt, black pepper, and horseradish. Add ice and shake gently — you’re not trying to aerate this like a Daiquiri. You want everything mixed but the tomato juice shouldn’t get frothy. Shake for about eight seconds. Strain back into your prepared glass over fresh ice.

Serve

Serve this in a tall highball glass over ice. Garnish with the celery stalk and lemon wedge. Some people add olives or pickles — that’s fine but don’t go overboard.

Pro Tip

The secret to a great Bloody Mary is restraint. Every ingredient should have a reason. The lemon juice brightens the tomato. The Worcestershire adds umami depth. The hot sauce brings heat without overpowering. The celery salt ties it together. When you start adding pickle juice and clam juice and bacon salt, you’re not improving the drink — you’re just making it louder. Build your base recipe first, then adjust one element at a time until it tastes right to you. But start simple.