Saturday Afternoon Bloody Mary

It’s a sunny Saturday after a week’s worth of bothersome weather. A mixture of rain, hail, and gusty wind hung around for way too long like an unwelcome house guest. Bright blue skies, lots of sun, and brisk air calls for a spicy treat. I opted to drink a short-glass Bloody Mary and listen to Devendra Banhart’s “Rejoicing in the Hands.” The mix just seemed to work.

First, I tossed a handful of ice cubes into my glass and started with the hot stuff before the booze. I felt like a super spicy Bloody Mary was the best bet for the type of liquor I was using and the mood I was in. I wanted a sweet and spicy Blood Mary, so I chose Diep 9 Young Grain Genever, which has a bit of a sweet aroma to it, but is overall quite mild and smooth. If you’ve never had Genever before, it’s similar in color and flavor to Vodka, but can be a bit aromatic like Gin because it’s derived from Juniper berries. It is actually the predecessor to Gin. You can read more about it on Wikipedia here. I didn’t want to overpower the flavor of the liquor with too much horseradish, so I held off on that until the end. Here is my recipe listed in order of mixed ingredients:

1. Fill a rocks glass with ice cubes, 3/4 of the way.
2. Add a half a teaspoon of Peperoncini juice. I used Cento brand.
3. Add 3-5 healthy dashes of Tabasco, depending on desired spice. I think I used about 5 big ones.
4. Add about 1/8 tsp (or a solid pinch) of celery salt.
5. Grind fresh peppercorns like crazy into the glass. Mmmm, pepper.
6. Add your Young Grain Genever. I filled my glass about half way.
7. Top off with Tomato Juice. I get the individual cans of Campbell’s tomato juice in a 6-pack, so one of those is just enough to fill the glass to the brim.
8. Mix it up real nice.
9. Garnish with more ground pepper, a thick slice of lemon, and a dollop of horseradish.
10. Sit down, put some happy music on and let the spice liven up your lips.

Enjoy your Saturday!