Bloody Mary
"One of the biggest mistakes people make when making Bloody Mary's," says chef Zakarian, "is they use ice in the mix. That's a no-no — you'll have dilution."Instead, he advises making a batch of bloody mary that you can refrigerate, and then, once chilled, pour and garnish for your guests. "I like to use a burgundy glass or a big bulb glass," he says. "You want to get your nose in there and smell it. And it's more festive!"For his bloody mary recipe, Zakarian uses Harry & David Bloody Mary mix as its base, adding several signature touches from the garnish kit. "But my secret," he says, "is a generous amount of whole grain mustard." Once stirred, the mustard seeds are suspended in the glass, making this bloody mary — whose garnishes include smoky green olives, tiny pickles, and long hearts of celery stalks — even more attractive.When it comes to garnishing, Zakarian is all about keeping it simple. "I take olives and cornichons and put them on a skewer and place it on top of the glass." The reason? "After every little sip, I take an olive. Another sip, I take a cornichon. Put as many as you want, but I think four is perfect." Then take your celery stalk and put it right at the edge of the glass so it sticks a half-inch above the rim of the glass. "I think that's beautiful."
Ingredients:
- 1 quart Harry & David Bloody Mary Mix
- dill pickle hot sauce (A few dashes or more to taste, if you like it spicy!)
- garlic dill cornichon juice (A few tablespoons plus cornichons for garnish)
- 2 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard
- 8-12 ounces vodka
- 2 tablespoons chile-lime seasoning (or more as needed)
- 4-6 lemon wedges
- 4-6 celery stalks (the hearts are best, for garnish)
- 8-12 Pitted green olives (grilled, for garnish)
Instructions:
- In a large glass pitcher, pour the Harry & David Bloody Mary mix, hot sauce, cornichon juice, and Dijon mustard. Stir thoroughly, but don't shake. Add the vodka. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.
- Scatter the chili-lime seasoning onto a plate. Working with one glass at a time, run a lemon wedge along the rim of the glass. Turn the glass upside down onto the plate to coat the rim with the seasoning, shaking off any excess. Repeat with the remaining glasses, saving the lemon wedges as a garnish, for each glass, if you like.
- Working with one glass at a time, fill them with ice. Place a celery stalk in the center of the glass, then fill with the chilled bloody mary mix.
- Skewer the green olives and cornichons and serve with each glass.