Pickled Mary

Name: Pickled Mary
Yield: Serves 8
Ingredients: 6 cups tomato juice; 1 1/2 cups Stolichnaya or other good vodka; Tomatillo Sauce (recipe follows); Juice of 2 lemons; Juice of 3 limes; Few dashes of Worcestershire sauce; Few dashes of Frank’s RedHot or other hot sauce; 2 tablespoons smoked sweet Spanish paprika; 2 teaspoons celery salt; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne; Celery stalks, for garnish; 4 large tomatillos, husked and rinsed; 1/2 small red onion, coarsely chopped; 2 cloves garlic, chopped; 1 jalapeño chile, stemmed and chopped; 2 tablespoons canola oil; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar; 2 tablespoons honey; 1/4 cup prepared horseradish, drained; 6 fresh spinach leaves; 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro; (makes about 1 1/2 cups)

December 14, 2011

The Bloody Mary is probably the most popular brunch cocktail in the United States and with good reason; spiced-up tomato juice and vodka garnished with a stalk of celery—the classic version—is a perfect weekend pick-me-up. There are many variations of the Bloody Mary that contain everything from beer to beef bouillon. My version has a southwestern theme, where roasted tomatillo sauce—spiked with vinegar and pickled horseradish—joins tomato juice to give the drink great body while adding a slightly tart, slightly smoky flavor.

Recipe notes

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