Touchdown Thursdays: Old Bay Bloody Mary

We survived the election, Thanksgiving came and went, we’re in the thick of a crappy football season (well, some of us), and the Christmas season has descended upon us out of no where.  Who’s ready for a drink?

Besides beer and the occasional bubbly, my favorite drink by far is the mighty Bloody Mary.  I’m a salt fiend, so I think that explains my draw to them.  Spicy, salty, zesty, substantial… what else could you need?

For this I use Ballast Point’s Bloody Mary mix, Tito’s Vodka, and the mighty Old Bay. A mix from California, a vodka from Texas, and the best darn seasoning ever from Maryland, come together to form the perfect drink – oh, this nation is great!

There are no measurements in this recipe, except the vodka, because how a person likes their Bloody Mary is about as personal as it gets.  I do a dash here, a shake there, taste, and adjust.  It might seem odd to use two different hot sauces, but their fiery profiles are quite different.  Sriracha sometimes makes an appearance as well.

Sometimes I use pickle juice instead of olive juice, just don’t go for bread and butter pickles, the results were not spectacular.

The amount of bacon, cherry tomatoes and shrimp depend on how many drinkers ya got.  Or you could make a bunch and enjoy them as game time snacks – it’s your world people, do what you want!  Cheers!

Old Bay Blood Mary

Ingredients:

2 ounces good quality vodka

Bloody Mary mix, or tomato juice

Old Bay

Horseradish

Worcestershire sauce

Celery salt

Pepper

Cayenne pepper

Tabasco

Chalula

Olive juice

1 lime, halved and quartered

Bacon

Cherry tomatoes

Shrimp

Directions:

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Place bacon on sheet and cook, at 400 degrees, turning once, for approximately 20 minutes.  Don’t preheat oven.

Add tomatoes and shrimp to the cookie sheet.  Sprinkle bacon, tomatoes and shrimp with Old Bay.  Cook for approximately 10 minutes.

Combine vodka, Bloody Mary mix, Old Bay, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, pepper, Tabasco, Chalula, olive juice, and the squeeze of two lime pieces in a shaker with ice.  Shake well.

Run a lime along the edge of glass.  On a small plate, add approximately 1 tablespoon of Old Bay.  Dip glass in Old Bay, covering the rim.

Pour Bloody Mary in glass and garnish with tomato, bacon and shrimp skewer.