Hoosier Daddy (Original Recipe)

 

Now for something completely outside the box. I was making Hoosier stew, that midwest skillet dinner with green beans, Polish sausage and potatoes and onions. It's a salty, fatty winter treat. But it occurred to me that cocktails can often be an offshoot of soup recipes, that it is very realistic to make a broth-base drink that is savory and have it actually be good. 

It wasn't my immediate realization that MurLarkey Justice white whiskey, with it's corn spirit nose and vegetel finish (almost like green beans) would be perfect for a Hoosier stew cocktail. 

The drink had to be salty with just a little pepper spice. I got creative and salted the rim and added black pepper, paprika and a just a few dashes of chipotle Tabasco for smoke. But it needed a garnish to get the Hoosier stew concept across. Actual smoked sausage, a steamed green bean and cocktail onions (and the odd olive pictured) festoon this silly cocktail.

But it's not that silly. There's plenty of drinks like the Bull Shot and Steaming Bull. The Bloody Mary is the best example of a savory cocktail that is essentially out-of-control tomato soup. It's no Bloody Mary, but that's not what I was going for. It was more like the Borscht Belt or Gazpacho Cocktaill, a soup cocktail that knows what it is. Hoosier Stew is definitely that, and for those who love the dish, they should try the drink. I have to say, this is way better than a Chicken Shot.

• 2 oz. chicken stock
• 1 1/2 oz. MurLarkey Justice white whiskey
• 1/2 oz. vodka
• coarse salt rim
  
• pinch salt
• pinch pepper
• pinch paprika
• several dashes chipotle Tabasco
• Polish sausage, onion, and steamed green bean garnishes

Rim an Old Fashioned glass with coarse salt by wetting the rim and dipping it into a dish of salt. Combine liquid ingredients and seasoning in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into the glass and garnish with stew morsels like smoked sausage, steamed bean and pickled onion.

Smokehouse Bacon Bloody

 

Before you say anything about the size of the glass, the original Bloody Mary cocktail specifies an Old Fashioned glass. It wasn't until much later that Bloody Marys became the tall pint glass or pitcher thing that they are now. The sad thing about that evolution, however, is that it hides the flavor of the booze under twice as much tomato juice and hot sauce. What if you want to taste the spirit you used?

Well, you can't miss MurLarkey's Smokehouse whiskey. The bacon smoke accentuates the peppery and tangy Bloody mix and just demands that you add a slice of bacon to the drink. Generally I'm in favor of outlandish garnishes with Snapper genre cocktails. But I prefer there to be balance: anytime your garnishes are larger than the drink itself, you are just hung over and hungry. So in the spirit of balance, a lime slice is a lovely addition. 

• 1 1/2 oz. MurLarkey Smokehouse whiskey
• 4 oz. Bloody Mary mix, Clamato or use a homemade Red Snapper recipe
• coarse sea salt
• lime slice
• slice of bacon

Rim an Old Fashioned glass in salt by rubbing the lime wedge around it and dipping it in a shallow dish of sea salt. Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake. Pour into the Old Fashioned glass and garnish with bacon and lime slice.

The Oresund

The Oresund refers to the strait that separates Denmark from Sweden. The use of aquavit or akvavait is what separates this Bloody Mary variation from many others.

Aquavit is a Scandinavian herbal infusion in vodka. It is savory, with lots of caraway as the principal ingredients, but also extending to coriander, fennel, and anise seed. That's what I added to my homemade aquavit. You can buy yours from the liquor store if its available where you live, but it is a lot of fun to experiment with flavor combinations. Learning to love aquavit is its own pleasure.

• 2 oz. akvavit (aquavit)
• 2 oz. V-8 juice
• 2 oz. tomato juice
• 2 oz. clam juice
• 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 
• pinch of finely chopped dill
• pinch finely chopped parsley
• sprig of fresh dill for garnish

Combine all ingredients except for garnish in a Collins or highball glass full of ice and stir. Garnish with the dill sprig. 

Tequila Maria

This Tequila Mary variation is one of several named Maria because of its use of tequila instead of Vodka. It differs from the Bloody Maria (not featured in the New York Bartender's guide) with its smaller proportions as it is served in an Old Fashioned glass and includes cilantro.

I like that the smaller glass means you can sip this drink and appreciate the tequila. For this reason I chose Tres Agaves tequila, which is amazing! This is a high quality blanco tequila with great herbal flavors you can enjoy neat. If you have fresh cilantro, use it as a garnish.

• 2 oz. silver tequila (Tres Agaves used)
• 4 oz. tomato juice
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1 tsp. horseradish 
• Tabasco sauce to taste
• 3-5 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• ground black pepper to taste
• celery salt to taste
• pinch of cilantro
• lime wedge

Combine all ingredients except for lime wedge in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into a chilled Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with lime wedge and (optional) cilantro. 

Algonquin Bloody Mary

The Native American Algonquin tribe's name comes up frequently in the cocktail lexicon. Sometimes it indicates that there are North American fruits or liquors present in the drink (apple, or blackberry brandy, for instance.) At other times, it is used to signify that a drink recipe comes from Canada or Up-State New York regions, which is most likely for a Bloody Mary Recipe.

As I've said before on this blog, Canadian cocktails show that Canadians don't waste time when making drinks. It must be something about the cold weather, but it seems like they want to get their results quickly, perhaps to speed the warming intake of alcohol. With a shaken Old Fashioned and this stripped down Bloody Mary, I continue to press this assertion.

What we have here is a pretty basic Bloody Mary minus the emphasis on garnishes. Make the recipe exactly as follows and don't worry yourself about getting hungry for celery.

• 2 oz. vodka
• 4 oz. tomato juice
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• juice of half a lime (don't bother taking time to measure)
• 1 1/2 tsp. Worcester sauce
• 6-8 dashes Tabasco sauce
• 1 lime wedge

Combine all ingredients except lime wedge in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain over fresh ice in a highball glass. Garnish with lime wedge. 

Red Snapper

So if you start with a Bloody Mary and just leave out the spiciest stuff like Tabasco sauce, celery salt and horseradish, you pretty much have the Red Snapper. This is a very tomato-forward drink and as such it feels a little thicker on the palate. There's no lime juice, either, just a dash of lemon juice. So really this is an alcoholic tomato puree drink with a pinch of paprika--not that there's anything wrong with that.

The important thing is that this is a branch of the Bloody Mary family tree that includes the celery rib, like the Bloody Caesar. To do the drink correctly you must include it, if only to distinguish which type of Bloody Mary the Red Snapper is.

• 2 oz. vodka
• 3 oz. tomato juice
• 3-5 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• cayenne pepper to taste
• dash lemon juice
• celery rib

Combine all ingredients except celery rib in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled highball glass (with optional salt rim as shown.) Garnish with the celery stalk.

Tomato Cocktail (Non-Alcoholic Pitcher Drink)

The Tomato Cocktail has no alcohol and, as a friend put it, is really an excuse to drink vinegar. Yes, there's no alcohol in red wine vinegar, but it is mighty tasty. Vinegar gives a sour twist to what would seem like a Virgin Bloody Mary, but without any of the heat of Tabasco in a Bloody Mary. This is actually a pretty thirst quenching cocktail that would be fun to serve at a picnic.

• 16 oz. tomato juice
• 1 oz. red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. basil
• 1/2 tsp. ground pepper
• 1 whole cucumber peeled and pureed
• 4 lime wedges

Combine all ingredients except lime wedges in a glass pitcher and stir well. Chill and serve over ice cubes in highball glasses garnished with lime wedges.

Virgin Mary (Non-Alcoholic)

This is one of the best names possible for a mocktail. It is a Virgin Bloody Mary! So simple compared to the many variations of Bloody Mary, you don't even need vodka.

But really, there's much less going on with this version all together. No celery, celery salt, or salt rim. (I added bacon salt because I'm used to certain things anymore.) Just a lime slice and you are ready to go. Follow these instructions, of course.

• 8 oz. tomato juice
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1/4 tsp. horseradish
• 3-5 dashes Tabasco sauce
• 3-5 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• ground black pepper
• lime slice 

Combine all ingredients except lime slice in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into a Collins glass. Garnish with lime slice. 

Clam Digger (Non-Alcoholic)

There's a few Clam Digger cocktails out there with alcohol and Clamato. They go by names like Connemara Clammer for Irish whiskey or Acpulco Clam Digger with tequila. This is the mocktail version of all of these drinks.

Clamato is a great cocktail in itself. It has dried clam powder and seasoning in tomato juice. It is my favorite Bloody Mary base before the spices go into it. Use it in place of tomato juice for an interesting twist on your Bloody Mary.

• 8 oz. Clamato
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 3-5 dashes Tabasco sauce
• 3-5 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• black pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp. horseradish
• celery salt to taste
• celery stalk
• lime wedge

Combine all ingredients except celery stalk and lime wedge in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into a Collins glass. Garnish with celery and lime wedge. 

Gazpacho Cocktail (Non-Alcoholic)

If you can make a cold soup out of it, why not put it in a glass and drink it with a straw? It only makes sense with the Bloody Mary culture out there that a drink like this exists.

Gazpacho is different from Bloody Mary in that it is less savory and more juicy. It is a cold soup, with spices that shouldn't overwhelm the senses. Some of the main differences between this non-alcoholic drink and a standard Bloody Mary without the vodka include garlic, oregano, scallions and avocado.

• 6 oz. tomato juice
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 2 cucumber slices chopped
• 1 scallion (the white part only)
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 3-5 dashes Tabasco sauce
•  black pepper to taste
• salt to taste
• cucumber slice
• avocado slice

Combine all ingredients except cucumber and avocado slices in a blender with ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a chilled Collins glass. Garnish with the cucumber and avocado slices. 

Texas Virgin (Non-Alcoholic)

This is the non-alcoholic version of the great Smokin' Texas Mary, a Bloody Mary variation with pickled jalapeno peppers and barbecue sauce. With no alcohol or any other recommendations, you can feel free to garnish at will and up the heat all you like. 

For this one, I chose Jack Daniel's barbecue sauce to give it that smoke, and the woody taste I like from their whiskey. Finding whole pickled jalapenos is harder than it sounds, but using a bunch of sliced ones fits the bill. Then I rimmed the glass with barbecue salt rub that usually goes on pork in the slow cooker. 

• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1 oz. barbecue sauce (Jack Daniel's used)
• Tabasco sauce to taste
• 3-5 dashes Worcestershire sauce 
• ground pepper
• tomato juice
• pickled jalapeno pepper
• lime slice

Combine all ingredients except jalapeno and lime slice in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into a highball glass. Garnish with jalapeno and lime slice.

Ferdinand The Bull (Non-Alcoholic)

Another beef bouillon cocktail, this one served cold, is the non-alcoholic version of the Bull Shot or something like it with tomato juice. I'm using low sodium tomato juice because there's plenty of salt in the bouillon and other sauces. Really, this is pretty much a stripped down Virgin Mary, and you can enjoy it for the beefy flavor that it has.

• 4 oz. tomato juice
• 4 oz. beef bouillon 
• 1 oz. lime juice
• Tabasco sauce to taste
• Worcestershire sauce to taste
• ground pepper
• lime slice

Shake all ingredients except pepper and lime slice in a shaker with ice. Pour into a highball glass and garnish with ground pepper and lime slice. 

Ginza Mary

Ginza is a nightlife area in Tokyo. That's all I know about it. I doubt that this Bloody Mary makes an appearance there. The simple presentation of this cocktail is very Japanese, though.

I'm not sure that sake really makes this drink any different than other Bloody Mary variations, however I noticed that without horseradish, the flavors were much restrained. I also declined to use Tabasco, because I felt it would taste too South West. I grabbed another chili sauce without as much vinegar--I recommend using Sriracha or something Asian--for a better effect.

• 2 oz. vodka
• 1 1/2 oz. sake
• 2 oz. tomato juice
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 3-5 dashes Tabasco sauce (or something else)
• 2 dashes (or more) soy sauce
• ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients except pepper in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into an Old Fashioned glass. Grind fresh pepper on top. 

Bloody Maria

It goes without saying that a simple Bloody Mary recipe made with tequila is pretty damn good. This recipe only varies in one other way, the addition of cilantro. It's great and a little more exotic for this most complicated of all cocktails.

• 2 oz. white tequila (Sauza Blanco used)
• 4 oz. tomato juice
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1 tsp. horseradish
• Tabasco sauce to taste
• 3-5 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• ground pepper to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• pinch of cilantro
• lime wedge

Combine all ingredients except lime wedge in a shaker with ice. Shake pour into a highball glass. Garnish with lime slice. (Note: there's no celery or salt rim in the recipe but I include them because of preference. Celery is only a requirement of the Bloody Caesar, a Canadian Bloody Mary variation.)

Buddy's Bloody Mary

This is a quick and dirty Bloody Mary variation that features more vegetable flavors from V-8 juice. I've modified it further with a pickle, celery and olives. It doesn't really call for a garnish. The interesting instructions for the drink seem to focus on seasoning the ice cubes first before straining the drink into the glass.

• 2 oz. vodka (Smirnoff 57 used)
• 6 oz. V-8 juice
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• celery salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• 1 tsp. horseradish 
• several dashes Worcestershire sauce
• several dashes Tabasco sauce
• lime wedge or assorted vegetable garnishes

Combine vodka, lime juice, V-8 juice, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce and horseradish in a shaker with ice and shake. Fill a highball glass with ice and add celery salt and black pepper to create seasoned ice. Strain liquid mixture into the glass and garnish at will. 

Creole

This marks the last of the beef bouillon cocktails in the New York Bartender's guide. In my memory, it was not one of the best of these drinks, but then a lot must be said about the mood you are in. Rum is an interesting selection for a spirit when tequila or vodka might make more sense, but that wouldn't be Creole.

• 2 oz. light rum
• 3 oz. beef bouillon 
• Tabasco sauce to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp. lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in an Old Fashioned glass with ice. Stir and serve. (Steak rub spiced rim optional.)

Steaming Bull

What do the Bloody Bull, the Bull Shot and the Steaming Bull have in common? Beef bouillon! This is a hot Bloody Mary drink that is prepared in two parts, one the tequila, and the other ingredients heated in a saucepan.

Tequila is a flavorful ingredient and perfect when done with hot juices and spices. I tried to capture the steam from the mug in the photo, but it was nearly impossible to see on camera, though I could see clouds billowing above the mug with my own eyes.

• 2 oz. silver tequila
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 3 oz. beef bouillion
• 3 oz. tomato juice
• 1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• Tabasco sauce to taste
• Celery salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients except tequila in a saucepan and warm until nearly boiling. Add tequila to a heat-resistant mug and pour the heated mixture into the glass. Stir and enjoy!

Smokin' Texas Mary

Another Bloody Mary Variation, and one that really has a right to exist as a distinct cocktail, is the Smokin' Texas Mary. This cocktail has smoke from barbecue sauce, and the tangy flavor of the sauce really changes the dynamic of the tomato juice drink.

I picked Jack Daniel's barbecue sauce, which adds the flavor of the whiskey to the drink that is only fortified by flavorless vodka. I quite liked it and found that a bacon shot rim from Dimitry's Bacon Bloody Mary mix was a useful addition. The only other change to the classic Mary is the addition of a jalapeno pepper.

• 3 oz. vodka
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1 oz. barbecue sauce (Jack Daniel's used)
• Tabasco sauce to taste
• 3-5 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• freshly ground pepper
• tomato juice
• pickled jalapeno pepper
• lime slice

Combine all ingredients except tomato juice, jalapeno pepper and lime slice in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into a highball glass. Fill with tomato juice and stir. Garnish with lime and pepper (celery stick optional.)

Bull Shot

You could see this one coming as I am trying out Bloody Mary variations with beef stock. Take the tomato juice out of a Bloody Bull and you get this Bull Shot, which is not really a shot. I imagine that some early form of the drink was served warm in a shot glass, but this is more refined.

No salt rim on this cocktail, but celery salt is included inside. When the salt dissolves, you are left chewing the celery seed. But that is ok, since this cocktail tastes like cold soup that slowly gets you tipsy.

• 2 oz. vodka
• 4 oz. cold beef bouillon
• 1 tsp. lime juice
• several dashes Worcestershire sauce
• Tabasco sauce to taste
• celery salt to taste
• freshly ground pepper to taste

Build drink in a highball glass with ice and stir. 

Bloody Bull

As the name suggests, this cocktail is a mashup of a Bloody Mary and a Bull Shot. A lot of ingredients overlap and you can see why these two cocktails are made for each other.

What's missing in this drink is the horseradish and celery (and celery salt) of the Bloody Mary. And just like the old NY Bartender's Guide Bloody Mary, there's no mention of a salt rim. I used kosher salt this time, though because I like how it adds saltiness to the broth when you sip from the glass.

• 2 oz. vodka
• 4 oz. tomato juice
• 4 oz. chilled beef bouillon 
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• Tabasco sauce to taste
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• lime wedge

Shake all liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Pour into a highball glass rimmed with salt. Grind pepper over the top and garnish with a lime wedge.