Robert Earl Keen’s classic Christmas song “Merry Christmas from the Family” (sometimes styled “Merry Christmas from the Fam-O-Lee”) features several food mentions. Champagne punch, eggnog, margaritas, bloody marys, and turkey are all mentioned outright. This Bloody Mary recipe is part of a series of REK-inspired recipes for your next Christmas party!
The Idea
Bloody Marys are typically drunk the morning after a big Christmas party. But who’s to say you can’t enjoy one while also hanging out with your in-laws, watching football and opening presents? Bloody Marys are tomato-juice based and here in Texas we like them spicy. This recipe is for a classic Texas spicy Bloody Mary, but if you’re not one for spice, just omit where necessary. This recipe makes about 8-10 drinks and has a lot of ingredients, so watch out.
The Recipe
What You’ll Need:
48 ounces of tomato juice*
12 ounces (1 can) of cheap domestic beer (I use Coors Light or Miller High Life)
12 ounces of vodka
3 tablespoons of store-bought horseradish
4 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
4 ounces of pickle juice (preferable from spicy dill pickles)
15 shakes of Tabasco sauce (or to taste)
1 tablespoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of white pepper
3 teaspoons of garlic salt
2 teaspoons of celery salt
1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
1 large lime (do not use store bought lime juice)
For a garnish, you’ll want celery stalks for each glass, and possibly olives, cornichon pickles, roasted jalapeños, bacon, etc. Get as creative as you want with the garnish, but I generally stick with one celery stalk per drink.
*I try to use the Campbell’s brand tomato juice, but using something more dynamic like V8 will work, too.
Directions:
- Microwave the lime for about 15-20 seconds, which will help maximize the amount of lime juice you get from that lime.
- Mix all the ingredients EXCEPT THE BEER in a large pitcher and stir vigorously to combine.
- Chill the mixture for at least 10 minutes, but no longer than 45 minutes.
- Remove the mixture from the refrigerator and add the beer. Stir gently to combine. Some of the spices may have settled at the bottom of the pitcher. This is normal; simply stir to recombine.
To serve, set out the desired number of glasses. Fill 3/4 full with ice and place celery stalk in the glass, trimmed to stick out about 1 inch from the top of the glass. Pout the mixture over ice. Stir gently with the celery stalk and garnish with additional garnishes such as lime.