Bloody Mary

In the pantheon of iterative cocktail recipes, the Bloody Mary is king, queen, and, sometimes, court jester. Variations abound, spanning the tequila-spiked Bloody Maria, gin-forward Red Snapper, and Canada’s Caesar cocktail, which swaps tomato juice for clamato. You can make a Virgin Mary (can we just call it a Zero-Proof Mary?) by omitting the booze, or embrace maximalism by topping your brunch cocktail with a salad bar’s worth of dill pickle spears, jalapeños, okra, and skewers of blue-cheese-stuffed green olives. Given the wide-ranging possibilities, it’s no surprise that the Bloody Mary is beloved by fans and critiqued by detractors.

But a classic Bloody Mary is a thing of beauty and balance, whether served alongside mimosas as part of a brunch spread or sipped alone on the couch or at the airport. This recipe comes from influential New York City bar consultant Eben Freeman. He grates fresh horseradish into his Bloody Mary mix, but jarred horseradish works in a pinch. Garnished with a celery stick and optional lemon wedge, it’s an understated, crowd-pleasing Bloody Mary recipe.

Instead of shaking the drink, which would unpleasantly froth the tomato juice, Freeman uses a mixing method called “rolling.” To do it, you’ll pour the drink back and forth between two glasses (or a cocktail shaker and mixing glass) until well chilled. To customize your Bloody Mary, partially rim the glass with celery salt, or, for a bit more kick, Tajin or Old Bay seasoning.