The Ultimate Bloody Mary Bar

(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.

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