PICKLED MARY

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Pickled Mary image

The Bloody Mary is probably the most popular brunch cocktail in the United States and with good reason; spiced-up tomato juice and vodka garnished with a stalk of celery-the classic version-is a perfect weekend pick-me-up. There are many variations of the Bloody Mary that contain everything from beer to beef bouillon. My version has a southwestern theme, where roasted tomatillo sauce-spiked with vinegar and pickled horseradish-joins tomato juice to give the drink great body while adding a slightly tart, slightly smoky flavor.

Yield Serves 8

Number Of Ingredients 23

6 cups tomato juice
1 1/2 cups Stolichnaya or other good vodka
Tomatillo Sauce (recipe follows)
Juice of 2 lemons
Juice of 3 limes
Few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
Few dashes of Frank's RedHot or other hot sauce
2 tablespoons smoked sweet Spanish paprika
2 teaspoons celery salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Celery stalks, for garnish
4 large tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1/2 small red onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 jalapeño chile, stemmed and chopped
2 tablespoons canola oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup prepared horseradish, drained
6 fresh spinach leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
(makes about 1 1/2 cups)

Steps:

  • Whisk together the tomato juice, vodka, tomatillo sauce, lemon and lime juices, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, paprika, celery salt, and cayenne in a pitcher. Cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 2 hours. Serve with celery stalks.
  • Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  • Toss the tomatillos, onion, garlic, and jalapeño with the oil on a baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until the mixture is soft but not browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and process until smooth. Add the vinegar, honey, horseradish, spinach, and cilantro and pulse just to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Scrape into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours before serving.

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