recipe // the bloody mary.

Ever since I added a bar cart to my apartment, I’ve been all about making cocktails. The days are gone where it’s simply a bottle of wine or beer with dinner and we’ve been experimenting quite a bit with cocktails and making up our own recipes along the way. This past weekend I combined my new love for making cocktails with my little brunch obsession to tackle one of the classics, the Bloody Mary.

// Photos by Heather Talbert

I’ll be the first to admit that my usual brunch beverage of choice is the mimosa. Easy to make. Fancy to sip on. Sweet and delicious. It’s kind of a no-brainer. But I’ve always been a bit fascinated by the Bloody – it’s a drink that might not be for everyone, but it seems very proud of that. It is a cocktail with an art behind it and with the garnishes on top, it sometimes even seems like a meal in itself.

I decided to start easy and tap into my network of Bloody Mary experts for advice which meant texting my dad while wandering the aisles of the grocery store. He had gotten hooked on McClure’s Bloody Mary mix a few years ago when I brought home a few jars on a drive home for Christmas and recommended adding a bit of worchester and celery salt to round things out.

So I did just that (while adding a few extras for flair) –

Fill cocktail shaker with ice
Add 7 oz. McClure’s Bloody Mary Mix + 2 oz. Stoli vodka
Top with a dash of worchester and celery salt
Shake until blended – remove cocktail shaker’s top and pour Bloody Mary + ice into glass
Top with your favorites (for me a pickle, a garlic stuffed olive and a lemon were a must)

The result? A Bloody that represents both my new home in the midwest with McClure’s Detroit ties and a few dashes of New Jersey mixed in with my dad’s advice and expertise – it packs a definite kick paired with pickle flavor while giving you a little extra to snack on while lounging around in pajamas for a little too long over the weekend.

Stoli has been traveling across the country on a coast-to-coast #SearchForMary, exploring local flavors and tapping into the expertise of Bloody Mary experts far and wide to show off their favorite twist on the Bloody. The ladies behind Bloody Best and I have been helping show off what we love about the Bloody Mary and our lovely city of Chicago – they’ve already tackled rating the Bloody Mike at Ditka’s and rumor has it, they’ll also be whipping up their own signature bloody as well.

Are you a big fan of the Bloody? What do you add to your Bloody Mary to put your own unique spin on it?

This post was sponsored by Stoli and all opinions and photography are our own. Join Stoli in their coast-to-coast search for your favorite local flavors by following #SearchForMary! Thank you for supporting the brands that support Pretty & Fun. I do my best to only work with brands that I truly love and fit well with my audience and all opinions are always 100% honest and my own.