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Whether you are looking for a brunch cocktail or just a great drink, this Classic Bloody Mary Recipe is a tasty one and a meal in a glass. Get out that tomato juice and mix up a beautiful, tasty, and filling Classic Bloody Mary

Two Bloody Mary recipe cocktails with all of the fixings

The Bloody Mary is such a classic drink. We are going to mix one up and share our best, most delicious, classic Bloody Mary Recipe. As we saw in our exploration of the history of the Bloody Mary, the origins of the drink and its ingredients are a little muddled. Fortunately, that the origin of the ingredients isn’t clear cut is one of the things that I think makes a classic bloody mary so special. It is not a “one size fits all” drink. It is a special drink that is meant to be made unique. So, I am going to share my basic, best Bloody Mary recipe with you today as part of our series, but use that as the base for your best version. Enjoy our Classic Bloody Mary recipe!

Bloody Mary Recipe Ingredients

There certainly are variations to what I am going to share, but my ingredients list are really the base list of how a bloody mary should be constructed. The spicy root flavor of prepared horseradish is essential in my eyes.  Worcestershire Sauce is another essential and is a fermented sauce has been around since the early 1800s. Worcestershire is really is an umami bomb that can help make the drink something special.

Celery Salt is another essential characteristic that I would have a tough time not including in our cocktail. This can be bought, but if you really want to do something unique, you can make your own Celery Salt. We only rim the glass with it, but as a classic margarita needs a salt rim, this drink needs a celery salt rim. And Tobasco! We cannot forget about a hot sauce to spice this mouth-party up. Really, the number of flavors that are going on in a Bloody Mary recipe are crazy. And, if you think about it, it is sort of amazing that these flavors all came together to become the classic drink it is.

That all of these odd bedfellow ingredients came to be “a thing” is a testament to just how good a bloody mary is.

Bloody Mary Garnish

There are many opinions about this cocktail’s garnish, but it really is an opportunity to turn this from just a drink to an entire experience. In my town, there is a bloody mary bar where it has become half art and half science to see how many toppings can be added to the top of the cocktail. There is some architectural miracles that occur on top of some of those glasses.

While the choices of garnish are endless, I would always make sure to have a bit of a celery stalk on a bloody mary and either a lemon or lime as part of the garnish. I don’t think an olive or pickle are necessarily needed on a bloody mary, but I would feel disappointed if I ordered one and didn’t get them. Other than that, I think the opportunities are endless!

Experiment!

Use this recipe as your base. Then, go forward and experiment. If you use this recipe combined with knowledge of the history and then also your creativity, you are going to make the PERFECT bloody mary recipe for you and your friends.

Before we mix a bloody mary.
After adding all of the ingredients into our Bloody Mary recipe.
A good look at two stacked bloody mary drinks.

Brief Look into Bloody Mary History

There are two main historical thoughts on where the Bloody Mary originated. One is that it was created by famous bartender Fernand Petiot at Harry’s Bar in Paris France during US Prohibition. This reported origin story has several different ingredients, similar to how it is made today. This recipe has close ties to the Red Snapper cocktail (a gin drink) that became popular in the US following prohibition and makes sense, as Vodka was not a popular drink the US until after World War II and Smirnoff’s advertising campaigns selling the Moscow Mule.

The other involves a famous socialite named George Jessel, who Smirnoff actually advertised as being the creator of the Bloody Mary during an ad campaign of the 1950s. The first references to this drink really only talk about it being a mixture of tomato juice and vodka, which is closer to what George Jessel first was touting as the ingredients.

Each story has its merits and you should really check out the history post to learn more about the drinks fascinating history. The combination of these two stories really has made the recipe what it is today.

Classic Bloody Mary Recipe

Shaker Kit
Pint Mason Jar

Bloody Mary Cocktail Tips

  • Be creative with your garnish!
  • If there is something you don’t like in our ingredients list, change it up.
  • I choose Tobasco sauce as my hot sauce of choice, but you can use other brands.
  • Beef sticks or beef jerky is a great way to bring this from being just a simple drink to a filling snack.

Did You Make This Recipe?

Thanks so much for giving it a try. Let me know how it went in the comment area below. I would love to hear about your favorite garnishes and any ingredients you don’t see that you love in your Bloody Mary cocktails. If you share this on Facebook and Pinterest, I would be very grateful, as it helps spread the word about these good recipes and also helps Ramshackle Pantry out. Most of all, thanks for spending time on my site and trying out my recipes!

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Two Bloody Mary recipe cocktails with all of the fixings

Classic Bloody Mary Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Ben Myhre
  • Prep Time: 2 minutes
  • Cook Time: 3 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 1 cocktail 1x
  • Category: Cocktail
  • Method: Shaker
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

This Classic Bloody Mary Recipe is delicious and a perfect brunch cocktail. This classic cocktail is tasty and a meal in a glass!


Ingredients

Scale
  • Celery Salt
  • 1 lemon wedge + 1 for garnish
  • 1 lime wedge + 1 for garnish
  • 4 ounces tomato juice
  • 2 ounces vodka
  • 4 shakes of tabasco
  • 4 shakes of Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons of prepared horseradish
  • Splash of pickle juice
  • Pinch black pepper
  • Celery for garnish
  • Pickle for Garnish
  • Olive for Garnish
  • Pepperoncini for garnish (optional)
  • Beef stick (optional)

Instructions

  1. Sprinkle celery salt generously onto a small plate
  2. Moisten pint glass rim with one lemon or lime wedge
  3. Put rim on celery salt plate to coat the rim with the salt
  4. Fill the glass with ice
  5. In shaker, squeeze 1 lemon wedge and lime wedge into it
  6. Drop spent wedges into the shaker.
  7. Add vodka, tomato juice, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, pepper, and a splash of pickle juice to the shaker
  8. Lightly shake
  9. Strain into pint glass
  10. Garnish with lemon, lime, pickle, olive, and celery stalk.
  11. serve

Notes

  • Be creative with your garnish!
  • If there is something you don’t like in our ingredients list, change it up. 
  • I choose Tobasco sauce as my hot sauce of choice, but you can use other brands.
  • Beef sticks or beef jerky is a great way to bring this from being just a simple drink to a filling snack.

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5 Comments

  1. Always wanted to learn how to make it at home. Great! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I will give it a try this weekend with my hubs 🙂






  2. I like bloody mary without alcohol. But always wanted to make my own recipe. this looks great and easy. Thanks