Sunday Bloody Funday: best Bloody Mary recipes to kick-start your brunch

As everyone knows, Bloody Marys are an essential ingredient for any brunch recipe. These drinks are so much more than vodka and a tomato-based mix - they're a savory delight bursting with unique flavors. I love to add a few strong ingredients to my Bloodies in addition to a good mix; my preferred brand is Zing Zang, but you may, of course, use whatever brand you like. Garnishes are a huge part of a good Bloody Mary, and range from simple additions such as olives, celery, and lime to bacon, pickles, cilantro, and Slim Jims.

The most important thing to remember about making the best Bloody Mary is to be adventurous - try something different each time, and play with the complex flavors you can use to create a delicious masterpiece - and ultimately, the superior hangover cure.

Proud Mary

Any bartender worth their salt will tell you that a well-made Bloody Mary contains so much more than its two basic ingredients. Everyone makes their Bloodies differently, and a good one will make many flavors collaborate to create a fully-developed cocktail. I like to use Guinness in my Bloody Mary to smooth out the texture and make the tomato flavor of the mix slightly more subtle. Be careful not to overdo it with the olive brine; although I love olives and dirty anything, too much olive juice can very quickly overpower all the other flavors in your Bloody. I find the Worcestershire sauce adds a good bite of vinegar on the finish, and for those who love heat, feel free to add a couple dashes of Tabasco, Sriracha, or any other hot sauce of your choice.

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz vodka of your preference

3 dashes Worcestershire sauce

Splash olive brine

1/2 oz Guinness Stout

2-4 dashes Tabasco sauce (optional)

Dash salt and pepper

Bloody Mary mix (Zing Zang, Tabasco, etc.)

Celery Salt

Garnishes of choice

Rim a pint glass with the celery salt and set aside. In another pint glass, add all ingredients but the salt and pepper, and shake lightly to fully mix all the ingredients. Transfer to rimmed glass and top with a light sprinkle of salt and pepper, and garnish with whatever you like. I love to top my Bloodies with a dill pickle, green and black olive, lime, bacon, and a celery stalk to help mellow out the heat of a good, spicy cocktail.

Maria Sangrieta

Bartenders love to play around with the base of the Bloody Mary, and often end up switching out vodka for tequila, creating the Bloody Maria. Because the opportunity to play with a savory cocktail is rare, I use it as an opportunity to work with a mezcal that has a strong, smoky finish. In order to keep this smokiness as the focal point of your Bloody, minimize the number of extra ingredients you might add. I like to add a dash of Worcestershire and Guinness, as in the previous recipe, but rely on the mezcal to fully round out the flavor of the cocktail.

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal

1-2 dashes Worcestershire sauce

1/2 oz Guinness Stout

Bloody Mary mix of your choice

Lime

Build the ingredients in a pint glass over ice; shake lightly to evenly blend. Return the contents to the pint glass, and rim the glass with a wedge of fresh lime before squeezing it into the drink.

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