Bloody Mary Anne

Ah, the breakfast of champions. Is there anything easier than the traditional Bloody Mary? (Well, I needed something simple after yesterday's experiment gone wrong ... Don't try to make me feel better, Alan. It won't work.)

But, back to the elegant simplicity and acidity of the Bloody Mary. Tomato juice and vodka. The rest is just window dressing. It's a good combo, easily tailored to specific tastes. For example, my friend Andy probably has his so loaded down with black pepper that he has to chew his drink. I like mine lemony and salty. This is truly a no-fail cocktail and my hat is off to it.

The only problem with a Bloody Mary is that it's part soup. There's a lot of volume taken up by non-alcohol, so you're not going to get hammered without a lot of effort. There's a reason why the college kids aren't known for the Bloody Mary parties.

Here's What You Need to Make a Bloody Mary:

• 1 1/2 ounces (1 jigger) vodka
• 1/2 cup tomato juice
• 1 lemon (1 wedge, and 2 teaspoons juice)
  
• Worcestershire sauce to taste
• Tabasco to taste
• salt
• pepper
• 1 celery stick for garnish
• ice
• shaker
• tall glass
  

Here's How Anne Made It:

Put the vodka, juices, Worcestershire, Tabasco, salt, pepper and ice into a shaker. Shake. Pour into a tall glass with ice and wedge of lemon and celery stick as garnish. Or, squeeze all that lemony goodness into the drink and skip the wedge.

Grading

• Manly vs Girly: Red, thick, spicy. That's manly
• Appearance: Red and thick. The green celery peeping through just makes me think of Christmas
  
• Consistancy: Somewhere just to the left of thick
• Taste: Tomato, lemon, salt ... essentially gazpacho
  
• Stomach Acceptance: Good times
  
• Would I Order This in a Bar: Absolutely, but only before noon
  
• Would I Drink This Again: Certainly
  
• Hangover: Low potential. There's such a high tomato juice to vodka cocktail that I can't imagine drinking enough Bloody Mary's to get a hangover. Plus, isn't all that Vitamin C supposed to be good for combating hangovers?
  

Tomorrow's Assignment: Brandy Alexander

Homework for tonight:

• ice
• 1 oz brandy
• 1 1/2 oz cream
• 1/2 oz brown creme de cacao
• shaker
• chilled cocktail glass