Not that I’ve spent my life in search of the perfect Bloody Mary, but I found it at the Todd English P.U.B. in Vegas.
A mix of tomato juice, horseradish root, sriracha sauce and olive juice, Todd’s Sssinful Bloody Mary had the perfect amount of kick to it. Meaning that it’ll be too spicy for some people.
The few Bloody Marys that I have consumed inevitably got their spiciness from a dash of Tabasco sauce. The flavor never made me come back for more, perhaps because Tabasco is the go-to hot sauce of the Gulf Coast and the flavor simply begins to blend into the background after a while.
The sriracha sauce (better known as rooster sauce to many fans) in this concoction, however, gave it a bold, unapologetic heat that I am compelled to try to reproduce. I haven’t been able to find any Todd English-specific Bloody Mary recipes, so I’m going to start with the Sriracha Bloody Mary Recipe published on the White on Rice Couple blog.
Since the Bloody Mary is, after all, a breakfast drink, I ordered a brunch dish to go with it: corned beef hash, poached eggs on toast and asparagus. (Full disclosure: I ordered the brunch mostly because it came with the Bloody Mary, which would have cost $15 by itself. For only $7 more, I got food too — a bargain basement price on the Strip.)
Delicious. The eggs were poached to perfection (again, compelling me to tell myself that I should really learn to poach eggs), and the corned beef was surprisingly delicious. Apparently, the corned beef that I had several times as a teenager, which was so overseasoned that it almost made me gag, is NOT the norm.
Even the asparagus was delicious. (And I say “even” as if properly cooked asparagus isn’t one of the tastiest things ever.)
I will test and update. In the meantime, if you have any tips on making an awesome Bloody Mary, send them my way.
And be sure to check out The Oatmeal cartoon illustrating the glory that is sriracha sauce.
I am mostly a bourbon and Tennessee whiskey guy, but I do love a good Bloody Mary. At home, I’ve made many different recipes, but I’ve never been able to make myself happier than two parts Zing Zang, one part vodka, and a quarter of a lime.
The sriracha is an interesting idea.
Tacky Jack’s in Gulf Shores/Fort Morgan makes a good one with pickled green beans as a garnish.
Mmmm, Bloody Marys.
It does seem to be the drink that eats like a meal. This one included a pickled green bean, a sliver of carrot, an olive and a small piece of cheese.