Smoked ice is the secret to the best Bloody Mary you've ever experienced.
The Bloody Mary is the classic eye-opener, 19th holer, hair of the dog, and a chance to drink your veggies. The Bloody Mary has a name that cannot be forgotten and is the breakfast drink of choice for millions of Americans on a Sunday, and more than a few a few Mondays.
The Smoked Bloody Mary is made with my secret ingredient: Smoked ice. Adding to the BBQ and grilling vibe, this cocktail recipe also includes a dash of BBQ sauce, dry rub, and bacon. This is an absolute must, cranking a great drink all the way up to 11.
Smoked Bloody Mary Recipe
Anybody can make a Bloody Mary, but this recipe takes it up a notch and shows your barbecue cred.
Makes. 1 drink
Preparation time. 15 minutes
Ingredients
4 ounces V8 juice
1 1/2 ounces 80 proof unflavored vodka
1 ounce Kansas City style BBQ sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon dill pickle juice
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon bottled horseradish in vinegar (not in cream)
1 or 2 squirts of Tabasco Chipotle sauce
1/4 teaspoon of Morton’s coarse kosher salt (read more about the science of salt here)
2 pinches black pepper
1 tablespoon Meathead's Memphis Dust
1 slice of bacon
1 lime wedge for garnishing
5 cubes smoked ice
About the tomato juice. If you wish, slice 3 large juicy ripe tomatoes in half and put them in your smoker at 225°F, sliced side up, and smoke for an hour. Squeeze the smoked tomatoes into a strainer and push on the pulp with a ladle so most of it goes through. Taste it. If it is too thin, cook it down a bit by boiling it in a non-reactive metal pan. You can do this a few days in advance. You'll need 4 ounces to make one drink.
About the lime. The original Bloody Mary probably had a lemon not a lime, but I prefer lime. You can use lemon if you wish. Or both.
About the vodka. If you wish, substitute tequila, white rum, aquavit, gin, grappa, lime vodka, herbed vodka, vodka infused with sundried tomatoes, or even a pilsner beer.
About the Worcestershire. I prefer Worcestershire, but for fun, you can try beef bouillon or steak sauce.
Optional mix-ins. Try crushed fresh garlic or garlic powder, grated fresh onion or onion powder, capers. Go easy.
About the Tabasco. You can make your own, or use any of your faves, like Sriracha.
About the bacon. Feel free to substitute a BBQ Rib, a Slim Jim, beef jerky, or a celery stick.
The other garnishes. Try green onion, a carrot stick, an asparagus spear, a pickled asparagus spear, a cucumber spear, or a dill pickle spear. Try a skewer with pickled pearl onions, a chunk of jalape–o, a cherry tomato, a sundried tomato, a grilled shrimp, prosciutto, olives stuffed with blue cheese or anchovies, or an anchovie filet.
Method
1) Make the smoked ice.
2) Mix or shake together the V8 juice, vodka, barbecue sauce, lime juice, Worcestershire, pickle juice, horseradish, hot sauce, salt, and pepper.
3) Pour the Meathead's Memphis Dust into a small plate like a coffee saucer and spread it out evenly. Take the lime wedge and run it around the rim of a tall (highball) glass to moisten it. Invert the glass and place it on the spice mix and twist it until the rim is well coated.
4) Add the bacon first, then the smoked ice, pour the drink over the rocks, and hang the lime wedge on the lip of the glass.
"There are some things a grown man needs to know how to make: His bed, barbecue sauce, and Bloody Marys."Meathead
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