Bloody Maria
A Central Coast Bloody Maria: tequila not vodka, local tomato, horseradish, and a skewered bite of tri tip. The cookout-brunch pour.
A Bloody Maria is a Bloody Mary built on tequila instead of vodka, which makes it earthier, more savory, and a better fit for a plate of smoked beef. Give it a Central Coast spin with local tomatoes and a little horseradish, the same horseradish that finishes a tri tip, and you have a drink that tastes like the cookout.
The signature move is the garnish: skewer a bite of leftover tri tip across the top. It turns the drink into a small meal, ties it straight back to the meat, and it is the single most shareable photo on the page. No other recipe site is garnishing a cocktail with their hero cut.
This is the morning-after, low-and-slow brunch drink, the one you pour while the next cook gets going. Savory, spicy, cold, and built for a long table.
Ingredients
- 2 oz blanco tequila
- 4 oz tomato juice (local if you can get it)
- 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
- 2 dashes hot sauce
- 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- Pinch of celery salt and black pepper
- Garnish: skewered bite of tri tip, olive, pickled vegetable, lime
Instructions
- 1
Add all the liquid ingredients and seasonings to a shaker with ice and roll gently to combine.
Roll it, do not hard-shake it, or the tomato juice goes frothy and flat.
- 2
Strain over fresh ice in a tall glass.
Tequila instead of vodka is what makes it a Maria, and it brings a savory, earthy edge that vodka can't.
- 3
Load the garnish: a skewer with a bite of leftover tri tip, an olive, and a pickled vegetable, plus a lime wedge.
The tri tip skewer is the whole move. It ties the drink to the meat and it is the most photogenic glass on the table.