How to Improve a Classic Bloody Mary -- With Pickles
Rick Field of Rick's Picks gives a nuanced boost to the classic Bloody Mary for a drink to relish on hot summer days.
ByRick Field
Published On
All week long, we're highlighting some of our favorite New York-based makers, whose goods you can find in our I Heart NYC collection on Provisions. Follow along for a taste of New York -- without stepping foot on a subway.
Today: Rick Field of Rick's Picks gives a nuanced boost to the classic Bloody Mary for a drink to relish on hot summer days.
The premise of my version of the classic Bloody Mary is to deliver a cocktail-like consistency where many versions are as thick as clam chowder, and to produce a sublime depth of flavor where others are simply a salt bomb. Life is salty enough, I say.
More: Cocktail sauce equally salty? Make your own, seasoned to taste.
As we sit around my living room on Sundays watching football, my friends and I enjoy “dragging it through the garden” as we call it: We add a large variety of Rick’s Picks pickles to the drink, which adds to both the taste experience and the drink's visual appeal. The initial straining step essentially clarifies the tomato juice; the secondary ingredients provide a nuanced boost, so the net effect is a cocktail that is simultaneously clarified and fortified. The smaller 8-ounce glass is important -- you will find the first sip as delicious as the last, whereas with larger glasses there is an unsatisfyingly watery endgame.
Serves 8
64 ounces tomato juice (preferably low-sodium)
2 tablespoons hot sauce, or more to taste (I like A&B American Style)
2 tablespoons freshly ground horseradish root
1 tablespoon coarsely ground fresh black pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (preferably low-sodium)
Zest and juice of one large and attractive lemon
1 cup strong beef bouillon (optional)
2 cloves garlic (optional)
Vodka
Rick’s Picks Mean Beans, Smokra, and Hotties
Photo by James Ransom