Perfecting your own Bloody Mary recipe is an ongoing quest. It’s a journey punctuated by new spices, hot and hotter sauces, and taller and more outrageous toppings. But it all starts with a smooth foundation. Lakeview Vodka was tailor made to be that base.

When we launched Northern Oasis Spirits, we knew we wanted to develop a vodka that was a little sweet for refreshing summer drinks by the lake, but still versatile enough to pair with any cocktail we throw at it.

Enter Lakeview Vodka: a 100% all-natural, gluten-free corn vodka with a light, slightly sweet taste. It’s a great balance for a spicy, savory Bloody Mary!

Your basic Bloody goes together like this…

First, salt the rim of your glass (moisten the rim with a damp towel and press into a saucer of sea salt) and fill it with ice. Then add the following to a cocktail mixer and shake:

1 ½ oz. Lakeview Vodka
¾ cup of V8
1 tablespoon of Lemon Juice
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 dash Tabasco sauce (if you like)
1 pinch of salt and pepper
Strain into your glass and garnish with a stalk of celery and two green olives.

Now you have an all-purpose Bloody Mary! Easy to make, and excellent for entertaining or unwinding after a long day. So what if you have a few friends over and you want to really raise some eyebrows? That’s when you develop your own mix and create an unforgettable signature flavor.

Bloody Marys offer many flavor options and everybody seems to have their own take on it. We’ve seen quite a few arguments over whose Bloody is better. There’s room for everyone, though, and we love ‘em all! If you have a favorite local Bloody Mary, treat yourself to one (this is called “research”). While you drink, see if you can taste what makes it different. What is it about that particular Bloody Mary that makes it your favorite—and how can you incorporate that taste into your own recipe?

Take some notes, and when you head home to develop your ultimate Bloody Mary, try a few of these tricks…

Swap Spirits

If you’re saving your Lakeview Vodka for Moscow mules (and who could blame you), switch it out with any of the following spirits for a whole new Bloody Mary experience:

Bourbon
Gin
Mezcal
Sherry
Tequila

You’d be surprised at all the new flavors you can get!

Even if you’re a vodka purist, you can still create a unique flavor. With a week, some produce, and an extra bottle of Lakeview Vodka, try making your own infused vodka! Lakeview infused with pickles, jalapeño, or even carrots can be your secret weapon when you create a signature Bloody Mary for your friends!

Mash up the Mixers

The basic Bloody just uses tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and your citrus of choice. There are so many more flavors you can throw into the mix!

The Ultimate Bloody Mary at Main Street Taps in Stevens Point, WI.

Tomato juice (for a milder taste)
V8 (the secret is the celery)
Clamato juice (for that little extra)
Beef stock or bullion (not too much; even a 1/8 teaspoon of beef bullion makes it richer)
Horseradish (again, a little goes a long way)
Lime juice
Sriracha, Frank’s Red Hot sauce, or your favorite hot sauce
Steak sauce
Barbecue sauce
Pickle juice
Olive brine
Old Bay seasoning (they even make their own Bloody Mary mix!)
Garlic salt or powder
Oregano
Black pepper
Basil
Paprika (or smoked paprika)
Lemon pepper
Smoked sea salt
Rim the glass with celery salt, or a 1:1 mix of salt and smoked paprika (or the spice combo of your choice)

Go nuts and see what you can add to your Bloody Mary to make it the stuff dreams are made of! We’ve seen Bloodies to rival the most beautiful bouquet of flowers—they’re almost too pretty to drink. Almost.

Trade Toppers

Never accept limits to your Bloody Mary garnish choices!

You knew we would get to the garnishes sooner or later, so buckle up.

Sure, all you really need is celery or a dill pickle for a garnish, but why stop there? Our friends at Main Street Taps didn’t—their signature Ultimate Bloody Mary features their award-winning fried cheese curds as one of the many garnishes!

You don’t have to include an entire dinner (unless you want to), but almost anything you can think of works as a garnish for a head-turning, fully-loaded Bloody Mary. Grab a few skewers and get ready to add:

Bacon
Cooked shrimp
Beef sticks or pepperoni (they even make meat straws!)
Scallops
Pickles (or any pickled vegetable, like asparagus, cauliflower, or okra)
Cheese cubes, balls, or curds
Pepperoncini, or other peppers
Crab (or crab legs for some nightmare fuel)
Marinated onions or artichoke hearts
Stuffed portobello mushrooms
Smoked chubs
Chicken wings (or an entire Cornish hen)
Baby red potatoes
Crawfish
Lobster
Brussels sprouts (steamed, roasted, or pickled)
Limes and lemons
Soft pretzel
Oysters
Doughnuts, cinnamon rolls, or mochi (if you want some extra sweet)
Hard-boiled (or pickled) eggs
Cucumber slices
Barbecue Ribs
Tater tots
Hot dogs (or pigs in a blanket)
Olives (bonus points for stuffed olives)
Hot peppers (also bonus points for stuffed hot peppers)
Sliders (yum)
Meatballs
Baby corn
Smoked salmon
Cherry tomatoes
Pizza. An entire pizza. It happened and it’s amazing, though pizza rolls might be more tidy.

If you made it through that abbreviated list, congratulations! What we should have said is: if you can eat it with your fingers or poke it onto a skewer, you can use it to garnish a Bloody Mary.

One of our favorite parts of making Bloody Marys is the experimentation! There are so many options, and no limits. If you’re in the mood for something simple or something extravagant, the Bloody Mary has you covered, simply adjust ingredients and garnishes to taste. Get your mix dialed in and keep it in the fridge for a week until you need it—then just add the Lakeview Vodka and your garnishes!

After you have a good head start, encourage your friends to invent their own signature tastes as well, and the next time you get together, compare recipes. Yours will, of course, be the best.

Locally distilled in Plover, Wisconsin.

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