(Vegan) Bloody Mary Bar = the ultimate brunch-at-home setup. Gather a few friends, your favorite bottle of vodka and a whole lot of toppings/garnishes! (Some brunch food would be a good idea, too.)
As a young millennial (verging on Gen Z, yikes), Bloody Mary's weren't exactly my cocktail of choice in college. (Are they anyone's, really?)
I'm also not one to frequent brunch outside of the confines of my own (crowded) kitchen. If it weren't for my grandma's undying obsession with Bloody Mary's, I honestly probably wouldn't even know what they are.
That being said, I would have been missing out, because despite all odds (tomato juice?? vodka? horseradish???), Bloody Mary cocktails are pretty dang good.
But you probably already know that, which is why you're here. Let's get down to business.
Sure, one Bloody Mary is great. But why not make a Bloody Mary bar instead with an array of crazy toppings instead? So much more fun, and really the best way to do brunch at home.
Bloody Mary ingredients
The recipe we're sharing here is actually vegan, so we do have one small change to the traditional recipe. A classic Bloody Mary contains Worcestershire sauce, which almost always contains anchovies (not vegan).
Luckily, we were able to recreate that classic flavor with a few extra ingredients. Here's what you'll need:
- Tomato juice: pre-made, of course, because nobody has time to make that homemade.
- Vodka: better quality vodka = better Bloody Mary
- Pickle juice: a bit of juice from your favorite jar of dill pickles goes a long way.
- Horseradish
- Tabasco: just a dash or two for a bit of spice. Feel free to add more.
- Old Bay Seasoning: I know, not traditional, but I'm telling you, it's the BEST. It's our favorite replacement for the Worcestershire. So flavorful.
- Paprika: smoked or regular for extra flavor
- Salt & pepper
Optional: for even more flavor, you might as well rim the glass with more Old Bay and salt. Agave or honey (if not vegan) helps it stick to the glass.
Instructions
No fancy tools needed other than a cocktail shaker and some ice.
Fill the cocktail shaker halfway with ice, add all of the ingredients and give it a good shake. You'll want to shake for at least 15 seconds to evenly distribute all of the ingredients.
Pour into an ice-filled glass and get to topping!
Toppings/Garnishes
The options are endless. We've seen anything from bacon, to grilled cheese, to chicken & waffles (how even?!). We like to keep things a bit more simple.
- Olives: any kind you like will do
- Celery and/or cucumber
- Fresh herbs: dill, basil and parsley are my favorites
- Pickles: I love a good kosher dill spear!
- Other pickles: pickled onions, beets, peppers, etc. Check out our guide on quick pickling here.
- Cheese cubes (vegan or regular)
- And pretty much anything else you can dream up!
Use skewers to assemble your toppings of choice and stick it right in the drink. Over-the-top toppings also double as protection against getting too drunk at brunch. 😉
If you're serving these to a crowd, be sure to keep the mixture refrigerated or over ice. It's definitely not the type of drink that tastes good at room temp.
More favorite brunch recipes
- Mashed Potato Waffles
- Carrot Lox Brunch Board
- The BEST Tofu Bacon
- Vegan Chicken & Waffles
- Spicy Breakfast Potato Tacos
If you make this vegan Bloody Mary Bar, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.
Print📖 Recipe
The Ultimate Bloody Mary Bar
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 drinks 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
(Vegan) Bloody Mary Bar = the ultimate brunch-at-home setup. Gather a few friends, your favorite bottle of vodka and a whole lot of toppings/garnishes!
Ingredients
For rim:
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- Agave nectar
Bloody Mary:
- 24 oz tomato juice
- 6 oz vodka
- 2 oz pickle juice
- 3 tsp horseradish
- ½-¾ teaspoon tabasco (plus more for serving)
- 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp salt
Garnish ideas: olives, celery, cucumber, fresh herbs (dill, basil, parsley), pickles (dill pickles, pickled onions, beets, etc), cheese cubes, etc.
Instructions
- In a shallow bowl, stir together Old Bay and salt. Dim the rim of each glass in agave, until the edge is just submerged. Then, rim in salt/Old Bay mixture until rim is well-coated.
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add all ingredients (you may have to do this in a few batches depending on the size of your cocktail shaker). Shake vigorously for 15 seconds, then pour into glass with more ice.
- Assemble garnishes on a skewer and serve any way you'd like. Enjoy cold!
Notes
If you're not vegan, you can also add in Worcestershire in place of Old Bay.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Cocktails
- Method: Shaken
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 153
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 2674.9 mg
- Fat: 2.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 8.3 g
- Fiber: 3.6 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 2.1 mg
Li says
Love your recipe. Would you kindly advise where I can find the glasses you used?
Lexi says
Thanks so much! They are actually Weck jars - you can order online!
Jennifer says
What size or oz. Or # are they, I can’t seem to find them at all.
Brent Harrison says
Hi Jennifer, all of the quantities are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post:
For rim:
2 tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
Agave nectar
Bloody Mary:
24 oz tomato juice
6 oz vodka
2 oz pickle juice
3 tsp horseradish
1/2-3/4 tsp tabasco (plus more for serving)
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
Christine says
Can this be made without the vodka?
Lexi says
Yes I suppose that would work just fine!
Jo says
Can I do this in one big batch to serve from a pitcher? And if so, what do I use to mix instead of shaking?
Lexi says
Hi Jo, yes, that should work fine! It should be fine if you stir really well with a long cocktail stirrer or bar spoon. Be sure to stir again before serving!
Priscilla says
Hello all, has anyone made the large batch yet? If so, any suggestions? I’m planning a girls brunch for Halloween and I want to premake some pictures of jt ahead of time.
Todd says
Made these last weekend and they were fantastic! Thank you for the suggestions.
Lexi says
Thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed!