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Home » Recipes » Cocktails

The Ultimate Bloody Mary Bar

Published: May 30, 2020 · Modified: Aug 11, 2020 by Lexi

5.8K shares
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(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.)

side view of bloody mary bar with garnishes

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.

side view of bloody mary with garnishes

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

side view of pouring vegan bloody mary from cocktail shaker into glass

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.

side view of vegan bloody mary in tall glass with garnishes

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.

overhead view of tray with bloody mary topping ingredients
  • 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. 😉

side view of bloody mary bar with toppings

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
side view of vegan bloody mary with toppings

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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The Ultimate Bloody Mary Bar


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

  • Author: Lexi
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 4 drinks
  • Diet: Vegan
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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

  1. 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. 
  2. 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. 
  3. 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

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @crowded_kitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #crowdedkitchen

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Comments

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  1. Li says

    June 18, 2021 at 6:53 pm

    Love your recipe. Would you kindly advise where I can find the glasses you used?

    Reply
    • Lexi says

      June 19, 2021 at 10:53 am

      Thanks so much! They are actually Weck jars - you can order online!

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        August 16, 2022 at 12:25 am

        What size or oz. Or # are they, I can’t seem to find them at all.

      • Brent Harrison says

        August 16, 2022 at 11:55 am

        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

  2. Christine says

    May 08, 2021 at 11:36 am

    Can this be made without the vodka?

    Reply
    • Lexi says

      May 10, 2021 at 12:30 pm

      Yes I suppose that would work just fine!

      Reply
  3. Jo says

    March 30, 2021 at 8:07 pm

    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?

    Reply
    • Lexi says

      March 31, 2021 at 7:13 pm

      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!

      Reply
    • Priscilla says

      September 20, 2021 at 12:49 pm

      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.

      Reply
  4. Todd says

    March 22, 2021 at 10:33 am

    Made these last weekend and they were fantastic! Thank you for the suggestions.

    Reply
    • Lexi says

      March 22, 2021 at 10:34 am

      Thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed!

      Reply
Lexi and Beth toasting with wine.

Hi, we're Lexi and Beth, a mother-daughter team from Michigan. The recipes you'll find here are a reflection of how we bring our family together around the dinner table despite various dietary differences.

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