From being a morning time hangover cure while at the same time being a downright delicious, ailing vegetable sip and a tailgater’s best friend, there’s nothing quite like a Bloody Mary. With just the right mix of Northwest ingredients, fresh spice and the taste of freshly picked garden morsels, you can transform yourself into the most important person during the pre-game.
The Mary mix itself is the base to the entire structure, outside of your Northwest vodka selection, of course. St. Helens Bloody Mary Mix prepares your drink with a solid foundation from its namesake town northwest of Portland. Loaded with not only what you’d expect to find in a mix candidate, such as tomato, onion, black pepper and oregano, but there’s also flavors which make this stand out among the crowd, such as asparagus, garlic, habanero peppers, basil, vinegar and other spices which they call the “family secret.” Don’t be alarmed by the viscosity: it’s a bit thicker due to the natural ingredients it’s composed of.
If starting with a basic tomato base and wanting an added flavor blast, add some of the Farmers’ Bloody Mary Seasoning by 44⁰ North Vodka in Boise, Idaho. This all-natural, gluten-free, soy- and dairy-free (sans MSG or high fructose corn syrup additive) packs a mix of spices that will put a pep in your step. Fun flavors like orange peel, turmeric, cayenne pepper and apple cider vinegar dance together in the bottle waiting to be married with tomato juice. A single bottle goes a long way.
For those of you who like a sort of saltiness paired with breakfast bacon flavors, Seattle’s Demitri’s Bacon RimShot will add just that. The smoke-flavored salt crystals bring each taste to its pinnacle, as long as you remember to keep rotating the glass to get another sprinkling. But, if bacon doesn’t do it for you, they also make a topper out of a blend of sea salt and spice from around the world, creating one flavorful meal-of-a-drink, in addition to four different variations of Mary mixes.
Most importantly, support your local farmers and pick up a few stalks of organic celery to stir up the cocktail. If you’re a pickle person, Thelma’s Goodies in Abbotsford, BC, has got you covered with a wide range of pickled veggies to garnish your drink, from spicy asparagus to crunch green beans, beets, carrots and even daikon radish.
Then, top the glass with a piece of bacon. Now that’s what we call a breakfast.
