Can you feel it yet? There's a change in the air. The light looks a little different. Something is coming... Fall. Do you know what the best part of fall is? FOOTBALL SEASON! and football season means lots and lots of day drinking. Morning drinking really. And this girl is not exactly one to pop open a cold beer at 8 am. I am however a big fan of a good Bloody Mary.
Now, I know there are a lot of people out there who are not really Bloody Mary fans, but I urge you to try again. The great thing about this drink, is it is so customizable. Don't like spicy? Leave out the pepper. Love salt? Throw in more olives. You can go as light or as heavy on the vodka as you please... with out really noticing.
A while back I got a taste of a basil bloody mary, and I've been dreaming of it ever since. The basil pairs so well the the tomato juice, and really holds up to some spice. Love it! I would definitely recommend adding it to your bloody next time your whipping up a batch.
Ingredients
- 8 oz. Tomato Juice (any kind is fine)
- 3 oz Vodka (lets not drink anything that comes in a plastic bottle folks... we need to pace ourselves)
- Worcestershire
- Bitters
- Tabasco
- Cayenne Pepper
- Basil (about a handful)
- Black Pepper
- Celery
- Ice
- Lemon wedges
Directions
In a cocktail shaker muddle the basil (reserve a few leaves for garnish), juice from lemon wedge (start with 1/8 of the lemon, add more if desired), a tsp. of Worcestershire, dash of bitters, pinch of cayenne and black pepper, and vodka. It looks gross, but keep going. Add tomato juice. Shake until your heart is content. Pour over ice. Garnish with celery and a basil leaf or two. Remember to pace yourself.
* I don't love basil and olives together here... but that's totally my preference. Feel free to throw in a few, and maybe some horseradish, or bacon? mm or cilantro? all good options. Just have fun with it!
Either way, fall is coming, and football is right around the corner. I'm going to apologize in advance, if you're not much of a college football fan, Blue Dog Belle may be going Red and Black in the coming months, so If you get sick of me, come back in January. (Okay, okay... I'll try to keep football mentions on Monday's and Friday's)
