Bloody Mary

• 3 oz vodka of your choice (not flavored)
• 4 oz V8 Spicy vegetable juice
• Juice of one lemon wedge
• 2-3 shakes of black pepper to taste
• 2-3 shakes of celery salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp of horseradish
• 4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 2 drops Tabasco sauce
• Garnish: lemon wedge, celery stalk, green olives
• Glassware: chilled pint glass
• Stuff: straws, toothpicks

Shake all the ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into a pint glass over cubed ice. Garnish with a lemon wedge, a stalk of celery (shove it right on in there) and throw a couple green olives in on a toothpick.  It might look like a salad, but it’s tasty!  Guests may wish to have their Mary milder or spicier, so adjust the Tabasco and Horseradish accordingly.  You might also want to keep regular V8 juice on hand, in case they prefer it really, really mild.

Idea! Create a garnish bar for your Easter guests. Stuff celery stalks, blanched cold asparagus, pickle spears or pickled okra (a southern fave), lemons, limes, green and black olives into different size glasses and line them up on a table or bar where you’re preparing the drinks…give your guests some options.  Lots of things go great in a Bloody Mary!  My own personal favorites are celery and green olives. Mmmm…

This is my personal recipe. Photo from iStockPhoto.