There’s More Than One Way To Make a Bloody Mary

Photos: Chris Emeott

Add a spirited mix into your recipes.

Someone wants to move from the bar and into the kitchen—and her name is Mary, as in bloody mary.

Talk about thinking outside the box—or bottle. Did you know that bloody mary mix can be the secret ingredient to everything from hors d’oeuvres and entrées to desserts? Pete Holzer of Sideshow Bloody Mary Mix says the mix can augment flavor profiles in dips, entrées, sauces and even—hold onto your aprons for this one—cupcakes.

“By swapping out tomato sauce with bloody mary mix, you are adding so many new ingredients within the mix to the recipe that you normally would not,” Holzer says. For the most part, mixes include horseradish, lemon and pickle juices, Worcestershire sauce and other savory ingredients. While it makes a great addition to recipes, he also recommends using the mix as marinade for vegetables and proteins.

Let’s dig in.

(Recipes provided by Holzer.)

Family-owned and operated, Sideshow Bloody Mary Mix out of Jordan is available at local liquor stores, including at Haskell’s The Wine People and at the Excelsior and Wayzata farmers markets. Mixes include Classic Original, Horseradish, Jalapeño Garlic and a seasonal mix. Last year featured Habanero Bacon.

Four stuffed olive varieties are also in the product lineup and include Bleu Cheese, Jalapeño Garlic, Onion and Lemon Peel. (Pro Tip: Brighten up a Dirty Martini with a few olives stuffed with lemon peel. So good!)

Bloody Mary Deviled Eggs

(This is ideal for using up some extra Easter eggs or as a way to add zip to your celebration brunch.)

• 6 boiled eggs
• 1/2 cup Thai chili pickles
• 1/4 tsp. prepared horseradish
• 2 Tbsp. Sideshow Bloody Mary mix
• 2 tsp. pepper sauce
• 1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
• black pepper, freshly-ground, to taste
• 6 strips bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled, as garnish
• pimiento stuffed green olives, thinly sliced, as garnish (Consider one of Sideshow’s stuffed olive varieties for extra flavor.)
• celery leaves, as garnish
• Spanish paprika, as garnish

Peel boiled eggs. Cut a tiny piece off each end of the eggs, so the eggs will sit up straight on a serving plate. Cut eggs in half vertically. Remove yolks from eggs, and place in a small bowl. Mash yolks with fork, and add horseradish, bloody mary mix, pepper sauce, mayonnaise and black pepper. Stir to combine. With a pastry bag or spoon, place filling into each egg half. Garnish with bacon, olives and celery leaves. Sprinkle with paprika. Serve chilled.

Bloody Mary Shrimp Dip

(Play around with flavors by using any of Sideshow’s four flavor varieties.)

• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Sideshow Bloody Mary mix
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice, fresh
• 1 Tbsp. Tabasco
• 1 1/2 tsp. minced onions
• 1 tsp. parsley flakes
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper, freshly cracked
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 4 oz. canned shrimp, drained well and coarsely chopped

In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and the mayonnaise until smooth. Add all the remaining ingredients except the shrimp, and mix until combined; gently fold in the shrimp. Cover, and refrigerate overnight before serving with crackers or vegetables.

Bloody Mary Chili

• olive oil
• 2 celery stalks, finely diced
• 1 onion, finely dice
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 lbs. ground beef
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground oregano
• 15 oz. Sideshow Bloody Mary mix
• ¼ cup vodka, optional
• 1 Tbsp. Montreal steak seasoning
• several dashes Tabasco sauce
• several dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 15 oz. kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 15 oz. pinto bean, drained and rinsed 

In a large pot over medium heat, add olive oil and sauté the celery and onions until soft. Add the garlic and stir; add the ground beef. Cook until browned, 5 to 10 minutes; drain off the excess fat. Stir in the chili powder, cumin and oregano. In a pitcher, mix up the Bloody Mary mix, vodka if using, Montreal steak seasoning, Tabasco and Worcestershire, and add it to the pot. Add the kidney and pinto beans, stir together well, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add more Bloody Mary mix or water if needed during simmering.

Baking Sheet Pizza with Olives and Sun-dried Tomatoes

• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1½ lbs. pizza dough
• 1⅓ cups Sideshow Bloody Mary mix
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• 1½ cups diced provolone cheese
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
• 1½ cups Sideshow olives (Pick your favorite flavor!)

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease a baking sheet with 3 Tbsp. of the olive oil. Gently stretch the pizza dough over the baking sheet; use your fingers to stipple the dough. Brush the surface of the dough with the remaining olive oil, and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Stipple the dough again; it should now stretch to the edge of the baking sheet. Pour the Bloody Mary mix over the dough. Sprinkle the three cheeses evenly over the sauce. Arrange the red onion, sun-dried tomatoes and olives in an even layer. Bake until the cheese is melted and golden brown and the crust is well browned, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes before cutting, and serving warm. 

Bloody Mary Cupcakes

• 2 cups cake flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• ¾ cup Sideshow Bloody Mary mix
• ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. vodka
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. hot sauce, optional, depending on Bloody Mary mix
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 8 oz. unsalted butter, softened
• 1 ¼ cups sugar
• 1 Tbsp. horseradish sauce, optional, depending on Bloody Mary mix
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a regular cupcake or muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and cayenne pepper into a medium bowl. Set the bowl aside. In a small bowl, combine the Bloody Mary mix, 1/4 cup vodka, lemon juice, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Set the bowl aside. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter with the granulated sugar and horseradish sauce, about five minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and then add one egg at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Turn the mixer to the lowest speed, and add the flour and Bloody Mary mix mixtures, alternating between the two, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined. Scrape down the sides, and mix for 30 seconds. Fill the cupcake liners three-quarters full of batter, and bake until baked through, 15 to 18 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 Tbsp. vodka and remaining 1/4 tsp. black pepper. Use a pastry brush to brush the vodka mixture over the warm cupcakes. 

Cayenne Pepper Buttercream

• 3 2/3 cups powdered sugar
• 8 oz. unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp. celery salt
• 2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. milk
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper

Sift the powdered sugar into a medium bowl. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and celery salt together, about one minute. Then add the powdered sugar and milk, alternating between the two. Beat until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Add the lemon juice, vanilla and cayenne pepper. Mix until combined. Then beat the mixture on high until light and fluffy. Frost the cupcakes once they are completely cool. Top with sprinkles or decoration.