Ultimate DIY Bloody Mary Bar

Hi everyone! Everyone once and a while, I search through my blog posts and revisit some of my favorite ones. Building the Ultimate Bloody Mary Bar is definitely among the top blog posts in the Food & Drink category. Not only do I love this cocktail, I love the backstory of this post and all the bright and happy photos!

I want to share how to create the Ultimate Bloody Mary Bar. I’ve usually been sitting at the bar when these brunch worthy cocktails get poured, and I didn’t have a lot of experience on how to make them. I knew that if I was going to play bartender, I would need to get some tips from someone who takes this drink seriously. The moment I decided to blog about the Ultimate Bloody Mary Bar was the same moment I knew who to call for help. My friend, Soo, makes the best Bloody Marys in the world and she was more than happy to share her expertise. Even though Soo and I have been friends for many years, it wasn’t until we were on an early morning flight to Miami for a Girl’s Weekend did I discover her zeal for Bloody Marys.

Once the airplane leveled off and the flight attendants started taking drinks orders, Soo whipped out several small containers and ziplock bags filled with condiments. She ordered Bloody Mary mix, lots of little bottles of vodka, and got to work. There were three of us on the flight and we stared in astonishment as she rimmed our plastic airline cups with seasoned salt, added ice cubes, some Bloody Mary mix, vodka and garnishes – all on a tiny airplane table. In addition to the seasoned salt, she packed freshly cut limes, olives, cornichons, and hot sauce. Soo didn’t waste a moment to kick off our girl’s weekend (I love this about her) and this mid-flight happy hour got the party started. We still talk about it a year later.

| hand-crafted Bloody Marys at 30,000 feet |

| the final concoction |

Having Sunday brunch at home makes more sense for us due to our son’s baseball games. But of course, I still want to make Kerry’s day special and this DIY Bloody Mary Bar is ideal. I know my photos are fancy (don’t panic). It is surprisingly easy to pull together! All you need to do is jot down the ingredients and assemble everything in one spot. This is a fun bar, because you can take orders and make the drinks yourself or let the man of the hour make his own. Cheers and Happy Father’s Day!

Ingredients (some are optional):

Tomato Juice

Tomato Juice
Vodka (I like Tito’s)
Seasoned salt
Hot sauce (Tabasco or similar)
Fresh limes and lemon wedges
Olives, cocktail onions, cornichons, celery sticks
Hard boiled eggs
Bacon strips (extra crispy)
Mozzarella balls
Cheese/salami spirals
Shrimps
Cheese Straws
Skewers (for the condiments)

Put about a tablespoon of seasoned salt on a plate, moisten the rim of a tall glass with a lime wedge and rim the glass in the salt.

Add ice to a cocktail shaker and add one cup of tomato juice, a shot of vodka, a dash of hot sauce, and a squeeze of lime or lemon juice. Shake well.

Pour entire contents into the glass and garnish with your favorite condiments. I like going heavy on the condiments because they serve as a little appetizer before the meal.