homemade bloody mary mix: hot and spicy

This homemade bloody mary mix is hot, spicy, and infinitely better than anything you can buy at the store. Start with whole peeled tomatoes and skip the salty mix.

There’s nothing quite like a really good, really spicy bloody mary. I love the rich tomato flavor, the slow heat of horseradish, and of course, the hot sauce. It’s an umami bomb I can’t get enough of. It took me a while to admit this, but I even love the bloody mary mix all on it’s own. And when you bring the garnishes into the picture, it’s basically a meal.

Unfortunately, a good balance of tomato flavor, heat, citrus and salt is hard to come by. That’s why I decided to make my own homemade bloody mary mix, starting from the very beginning-- the tomatoes. Good quality canned tomatoes will give you a sweet, flavorful base to work with year around.

From there, I go big with the horseradish and heavy with the hot sauce (start small if you like your bloody mary’s less hot). Finally, my secret ingredient: beef broth. It blends into the background, but it pulls the flavors together and gives your homemade bloody mary mix a ton of extra depth.

Control the flavor from the outset and skip the salty mix. Make a homemade bloody mary your people will love!

what alcohol goes in a bloody mary?

Vodka is typically used in bloody mary cocktails because of its clean, pure taste. Use a good vodka, but don’t break the bank on it. This spicy bloody mary mix has so much going on, you won’t notice a difference between a good vodka and a premium vodka.

If you want to add more flavor to your bloody mary, consider giving gin a try. The botanicals add an herbal flair to your bloody mary. Gin adds more flavor, rather than adding a neutral alcohol that dilutes the flavor. Of course, only do this if you like the herbaceous notes of gin! If you want to get fancy, this is technically called a "red snapper".

bloody mary garnish ideas:

• skinny carrots
• celery stalks
• mini bell peppers
• cherry tomatoes
• cucumber ribbons
• blistered shishito peppers
• hearts of palm
• jicama spears
• citrus slices
• dill pickle spears
• cornichons
• pickled okra
• pickled asparagus
• pepperoncini
• other pickled peppers
• cocktail onions
• bacon
• beef jerky
• pepperoni
• poached shrimp
• cubed cheese

what hot sauce goes in a bloody mary?

The fun part about making your own bloody mary is you get to choose what you like and what you don’t. I prefer Tapatio in my spicy bloody mary’s. I like the balance of vinegar with rich flavor and that hint of smokiness. Some people love Sriracha for the extra hot kick and complexity, while others want to keep it traditional with Tabasco.

Use your favorite hot sauce and you won’t be disappointed!

how do you make bloody mary mix from scratch?

1. Blend tomatoes (canned or fresh, blanched, and peeled) along with beef broth, horseradish, lemon and lime juice, worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and celery salt in a blender. 
2. Taste it and adjust the seasoning as desired.
3. Refrigerate until well chilled, about 4 hours or overnight.
4. Drink as is, or spike with 2 oz vodka or gin and garnish.

how long can you keep homemade bloody mary mix?

Homemade bloody mary mix will keep up to 1 week, covered and refrigerated. The mix is actually the best after a day in the refrigerator, which allows the flavors the meld. 

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