Buzz
While the Bloody Mary is a drink for all times of the year, there’s something off-putting about sipping thick, soup-like mixtures when the weather heats up. To stay cool and still enjoy your savory brunch cocktail, skip the pre-made mix and create your own with freshly pureed tomatoes.
Is this a little more effort than popping the lid off a bottle of highly seasoned tomato juice? Yes, but it's no harder than whipping up a smoothie—everyone can make a smoothie—and the reward is definitely worth it. My basic Summer Mary blend includes just three ingredients (excluding your choice of spirit), and its lighter, savory yet not overly salty taste is incredibly refreshing. It’s also extremely versatile, but we’ll get to that in a moment. To prepare enough for two generous servings, you’ll need:
1 1/2 medium tomatoes, chopped into quarters
1 pickle half + 1 ounce of its brine (I prefer Clausen for this)
Juice from 1/4 of a lemon
Toss everything into a blender (or use a large cup with an immersion blender), and blend it until smooth. Pour four ounces into an ice-filled shaker (along with 1 1/2 ounces of vodka, gin, or tequila), and shake until it’s too cold to hold. Strain into an ice-filled glass using a fine mesh sieve—scrape the strainer with a spoon as you pour to prevent clogging—and garnish as you please.
Instead of the usual umami overload, pickle juice brings just the right amount of salt, tang, and funk to enhance the natural sweetness of the tomato, while the lemon adds a bright kick. Of course, you can always personalize it. Horseradish, hot sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, lemongrass, Worcestershire sauce, and ginger are all fantastic options (but maybe not all at once). Just add any mix-ins a teaspoon at a time, blend again, taste, and adjust as needed.
If you're looking for something even fresher, swap the pickles for cucumbers and create a drink I like to call the 'Jealous Mary.' I've discovered that fish sauce and ginger pair especially well with it, and I've shared my ideal ratios for this drink below. To create this green, lean, booze-filled concoction, here's what you need:
1/2 medium cucumber
1/2 tomato
The juice of half a lime
5 slices of pickled sushi ginger + 1 teaspoon of jar juice
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
Blend everything together as previously described, then shake four ounces of the mixture in an ice-filled shaker with an ounce and a half of liquor until the shaker gets uncomfortably cold. Strain it through a fine mesh sieve into a glass and garnish to your taste. Empty the glass and repeat as desired. (It's practically green juice, so multiple rounds are not just acceptable, but even encouraged.)
