Liquor Infusions: Bloody Mary Edition
December 15, 2015 1:53 PM Subscribe
I am looking for your very best liquor infusions to make a bloody mary. I'd really like to make three different ones that are out of this world as a gift. I however do not drink bloody mary's and am wondering if some of the recipes I've read online would be good or too weird (ex. Pickle or bacon infused vodka) etc!
Thanks!
Pickled garlic scapes are terrific in bloodies, so I'm inclined to think scapes would work.
posted by kmennie at 2:02 PM on December 15, 2015
posted by kmennie at 2:02 PM on December 15, 2015
My bloody on Sunday had horseradish infused vodka.
posted by littlewater at 2:08 PM on December 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by littlewater at 2:08 PM on December 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
Celery seed infused vodka. Red tabasco peppers. Horseradish. Those are my votes.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 2:11 PM on December 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 2:11 PM on December 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
pickle infusion is not *too weird*. it is *perfectly* weird.
posted by j_curiouser at 2:24 PM on December 15, 2015
posted by j_curiouser at 2:24 PM on December 15, 2015
Mmm, yeah, came in to say black pepper, but jalapeno-and-garlic is also grand.
posted by fiercecupcake at 2:37 PM on December 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by fiercecupcake at 2:37 PM on December 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
Cucumber. I love pickles but I prefer the juice straight up in a shot (after Jameson).
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 2:55 PM on December 15, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 2:55 PM on December 15, 2015 [2 favorites]
Seconding skipping a pickle infusion and just giving really good pickle juice. I can't handle pickle juice backs / as a chaser, but I always keep the leftover juice from jars of pickles (especially homemade ones with lots of dill and coriander). It's excellent in many things, not just bloodies (I haven't eaten a bowl of chili without pickle juice and saltines in my entire life, for instance).
Seconding any peppery infusion, too. Try a mix of szechuan peppercorns, grains of paradise, hot radish, etc. if you want to get a little fancier than just black pepper.
I'd also suggest you go to your neighborhood spice shop if you've got one. I pop in to mine with questions like this all the time (they're the ones who told me to try mixing black pepper into cookie dough recently, to excellent effect).
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 3:14 PM on December 15, 2015
Seconding any peppery infusion, too. Try a mix of szechuan peppercorns, grains of paradise, hot radish, etc. if you want to get a little fancier than just black pepper.
I'd also suggest you go to your neighborhood spice shop if you've got one. I pop in to mine with questions like this all the time (they're the ones who told me to try mixing black pepper into cookie dough recently, to excellent effect).
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 3:14 PM on December 15, 2015
I've had a Bloody Mary made with bacon infused vodka, and it was delicious. Not weird at all. You could also make bacon salt to rim the glass.
posted by Weeping_angel at 3:23 PM on December 15, 2015
posted by Weeping_angel at 3:23 PM on December 15, 2015
Best answer: Bacon vodka is really easy to make. You'll need about a pound of double-smoked bacon. Cut into small pieces and cook over very low heat until the fat renders out. Save the pieces for garnish if you like, or a salad, or eat bare-handed...
Anyway. Strain the fat through a coffee filter while hot to remove any residue. Pour into a container large enough to hold it + a 20 oz bottle of vodka. Stir a little bit but not too vigorously. Pop the container into the fridge overnight. The fat will separate and solidify. Lift off carefully and discard (I mean you could use it for cooking I suppose but it's largely flavourless by this point). You need the double-smoked to really get the flavour.
I don't drink Bloody Marys because tomato juice is disgusting, but based on the flavours you might also want to try basil, rosemary, thyme--any good savoury herbs really.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 3:36 PM on December 15, 2015
Anyway. Strain the fat through a coffee filter while hot to remove any residue. Pour into a container large enough to hold it + a 20 oz bottle of vodka. Stir a little bit but not too vigorously. Pop the container into the fridge overnight. The fat will separate and solidify. Lift off carefully and discard (I mean you could use it for cooking I suppose but it's largely flavourless by this point). You need the double-smoked to really get the flavour.
I don't drink Bloody Marys because tomato juice is disgusting, but based on the flavours you might also want to try basil, rosemary, thyme--any good savoury herbs really.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 3:36 PM on December 15, 2015
ps, the bacon technique is called 'fat-washing' and it works with literally any fat. You could do an olive oil-infused vodka, e.g. Or buy a whole smoked chicken, use its fat. Butter also works (esp brown butter), though I don't think it'd fit in a BM.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 4:04 PM on December 15, 2015
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 4:04 PM on December 15, 2015
I saw someone do a Holy Trinity: Peppers, celery (stalks plus seed from the spice aisle), onion. It was good, but they also threw in a bunch of stuff as they made it (I think Cajun seasoning), so not sure if the vodka was really "the secret ingredient", or it was the extras.
Is the liquor infusion an important part? If so, disregard this next part. If it's about different twists on a bloody mary: I've had one with Acquavit (it also also goes great in a French 75).
posted by ghost phoneme at 5:09 PM on December 15, 2015
Is the liquor infusion an important part? If so, disregard this next part. If it's about different twists on a bloody mary: I've had one with Acquavit (it also also goes great in a French 75).
posted by ghost phoneme at 5:09 PM on December 15, 2015
Rosemary infused vodka.
posted by Ideefixe at 7:17 PM on December 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Ideefixe at 7:17 PM on December 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
A little bit different (and the results aren't the prettiest color) but I did a lemongrass-infused vodka for a sort of Asian-inspired Bloody Mary (mostly like sriracha rather than hot sauce, plus some sesame oil). I can't see why that wouldn't work for regular Bloody Marys. The flavor wasn't super-strong but it was still delicious.
posted by darksong at 8:04 PM on December 15, 2015
posted by darksong at 8:04 PM on December 15, 2015
I have found that the very best Bloody Marys are made with juniper-and-citrus-infused vodka.
posted by slkinsey at 5:32 AM on December 16, 2015
posted by slkinsey at 5:32 AM on December 16, 2015
Also, for regular infusions involving herbs, spices, vegetables, etc. I would recommend getting your hands on a whipped cream maker and using it to do nitrogen cavitation infusion.
posted by slkinsey at 5:37 AM on December 16, 2015
posted by slkinsey at 5:37 AM on December 16, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by General Malaise at 1:54 PM on December 15, 2015 [3 favorites]