Football Saturday: The Bloody Mary

Today I bring you the first installment of classic Wisconsin football recipes!

The Wisco Bloody Mary.

Or, the most Bomb-Ass BM, if you will.

As one of my favorite "day" drinks,

I can say that I have sampled this drink everywhere,

and none can even remotely compare to those in good ol' WI.

(Same could be said for the classic "Old Fashioned," but that's another post.)
My fav Bloody ever is from my hometown of La Crosse, WI - Del's Bar on 3rd St.

Close runner up?  The Wicked Hop in Milly-walk-ay.

I have lived in IL for the last 6 years and their Bloody's are atrocious.

Thick, bland tomato juice with a green olive and lemon wedge garnish.

What the what?!

That'd be unheard of in the Motherland.

I don't even want to look at that.

This is how we do:

(Soundtrack appropriate.  Just trust me.)

1.

I believe in the "make-your-own" Bloody Bar,

so everyone can make their own Bloody, to taste.

Easy peasy...just have everything laid out nicely.

A sure tailgate hit!

2.

Start with a good Bloody base.

This can be a high quality tomato juice or simply find a Bloody Mix that suits you.

They make them in a variety of spice levels,

and that little kick of horseradish really adds something!

Get sampling.

And people, when selecting your vodka, please,

this not this is not the time for the Goose.
I recommend Absolut Peppar for a special occasion, but

Smirnoff or Svedka are reasonably priced and delicious in this application.

However, stay away from the Fleisch!

Fellow Wisconsinites will probably disagree,

but I promise you nothing good can come from consuming this cheap vodka...

Unless you consider public vomiting or displays of indecent exposure a good time,
or subscribe to this philosophy:

For a mocktail version, "The Virgin Mary", skip the vod

and add an extra squeeze of lemon juice.
(Hey, sometimes you just gotta do it for baby.)

3.

You will need the following mix-in's to your base:

Worcestershire sauce, or as we like to say,

"Werrrr-shhh-shhh-shhhire sauce." 

(I'm partial to Lea and Perrins.  "Unwrap the possibilities" is right.

I add this to a variety of sauces for that meaty, salty kick.)

Your favorite hot sauce.

Lemon wedges for fresh-squeezed lemon juice.

Extra olive juice for those who like to ride dirty.

Celery salt.

(You can even rim your glasses in this delicious treat.)

4.

Mix the above well.

With a fair amount of ice.

(Nobody wants a hot BM.)

And if you're with a group of people who are lazy and/or don't give a shit

(probably men),

just go ahead and do steps 1-4 to your liking & have it ready to go in a pitcher.

5.

Accoutrements.

Part of what sets a Wisconsin Bloody over the edge!

The end product should look like a mini-meal in a glass.

Here's what I always include and/or have available on my BM bar:

A spicy meat product. Or two.

Summer sausage, salami, pepperoni, beef stick, beef jerky - you name it!
Hit the Farmer's Market, you will not be disappointed in any locally made meat.
Or if all else fails, a big, thick, juicy slice of bacon will do.

Cheese.

Duh.
Usually a cube of Wisconsin sharp cheddar and pepper jack.
Or, make like the Wicked Hop & throw some mozzarella cheese whips on there.
The mo' cheese, the betta'.

Pickle spear.

Bonus dill, vinegary juices.

Pickled veggies skewer.

Usually homemade by someone,

e.g.  mushrooms, pearl onions, brussel sprouts, beets, asparagus, green beans, etc.

Thanks, Mom!
And don't forget the olive!
Make sure it is stuffed with something delicious,
say with bleu cheese or garlic or jalapeno.
Yeeeeeeah buddy!

A pepperoncini pepper.

'Cuz when you bite in, and that pepper blows it's load,

that juice just adds even more spicy liquid deliciousness to your beverage.

A celery stalk.

For good health and a sturdy stir stick.

Plus, leaving the leaves on top makes your drink purdy.

And if you wanna get real fancy, a big juicy shrimp.

The tomato base kind of tastes like cocktail sauce, after all.

The possibilities are endless, really.

Get creative!

6.

Serve with a damn beer chaser, would you please?!

Standard with a Wisconsin BM.

Drinker's choice.

Here's a list of the best bloody's in Mil-town.
Can't wait to check out all of these after the big move!

O.M.Geezies.  Enjoy!

I guarantee you will never look at Bloody's in the same way ever again.

~Photo by b, image via i can read & milwaukee journal sentinel~