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Pickled Mary

PICKLED MARY

The Bloody Mary is probably the most popular brunch cocktail in the United States and with good reason; spiced-up tomato juice and vodka garnished with a stalk of celery—the classic version—is a perfect weekend pick-me-up. There are many variations of the Bloody Mary that contain everything from beer to beef bouillon. My version has a southwestern theme, where roasted tomatillo sauce—spiked with vinegar and pickled horseradish—joins tomato juice to give the drink great body while adding a slightly tart, slightly smoky flavor.

Serves 8

6 cups tomato juice

1½ cups Stolichnaya or other good vodka

Tomatillo Sauce

Juice of 2 lemons

Juice of 3 limes

Few dashes of Worcestershire sauce

Few dashes of Frank’s RedHot or other hot sauce

2 tablespoons smoked sweet Spanish paprika

2 teaspoons celery salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne

Celery stalks, for garnish

Whisk together the tomato juice, vodka, tomatillo sauce, lemon and lime juices, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, paprika, celery salt, and cayenne in a pitcher. Cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 2 hours. Serve with celery stalks.

TOMATILLO SAUCE

Makes about 1½ cups

4 large tomatillos, husked and rinsed

½ small red onion, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 jalapeño chile, stemmed and chopped

2 tablespoons canola oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

¼ cup prepared horseradish, drained

6 fresh spinach leaves

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Toss the tomatillos, onion, garlic, and jalapeño with the oil on a baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until the mixture is soft but not browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and process until smooth. Add the vinegar, honey, horseradish, spinach, and cilantro and pulse just to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Scrape into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours before serving.

PICKLED COCKTAIL ONIONS

These onions are a perfect garnish for martinis and Bloody Marys or for eating alongside Country-Style Ribs or simply on their own with a cold beer chaser.

Makes 1½ quarts

3 cups apple cider vinegar

½ cup sugar

¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh dill

3 cloves garlic, smashed

1 jalapeño chile, halved

2 tablespoons pickling spice

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

1 pound pearl onions, ends trimmed, peeled

1. Combine the vinegar, 1 cup water, the sugar, dill, garlic, jalapeño, pickling spice, and salt in a medium nonreactive pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the onions and cook until a knife inserted into the center meets a little resistance, 4 to 5 minutes.

2. Transfer the mixture to a nonreactive bowl and cover with plastic wrap, or to a large glass jar with a tight-fitting lid, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving. The onions will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator.

PIMM’S CUP

Pimm’s No. 1 is a gin-based beverage made from dry gin, liqueur, fruit juices, and spices. When combined with club soda or ginger ale and a cucumber spear, it becomes a Pimm’s Cup. Pimm’s No. 1 was created in the mid–eighteenth century by English oyster bar owner James Pimm. The recipe is still a secret; supposedly, only six people know exactly how it is made. It has a dark golden brown color, a medium body, and a taste of quinine, citrus fruits, and spice. Its low alcohol content—only 20 percent—makes it a perfect lunchtime cocktail. The cocktail found its home in the States in New Orleans in the early twentieth century when an anglophile bartender at Napoleon’s put it on their menu. The addition of lemonade distinguishes the American version from the classically British Pimm’s cup.

Serves 1

3 ounces good-quality lemonade, chilled

2 ounces club soda, chilled

1½ ounces Pimm’s No. 1

Cucumber spear, for garnish

Granny Smith apple slice, for garnish

Combine the lemonade, club soda, and Pimm’s in a highball glass and garnish with the cucumber and apple.

AMERICAN EAGLE

The cocktail