Archive for July, 2013

75th Street Inn

Posted: July 22, 2013 in Uncategorized
Tags: ,

Today, I played golf in Kenosha. I’m not too familiar with the bar/restaurant scene in the area, so I searched online and decided to head to the 75th Street Inn in nearby Salem, Wisconsin.

I asked for a Bloody Mary and was asked if I wanted a specific vodka in the drink and also if I wanted a chaser. (No to both questions today.)

image

Spice: Not too spicy at all.

Mix: The mix, I learned, is homemade. They use pickle juice and olive juice, plus Sacramento tomato juice and other spices.

Chaser: Offered, but refused.

Fixin’s: Pickle & Two Olives

Price: $6

Decent bloody. Extra points for using Sacramento and for the salted rim.

The waitress came back to ask if I would like another. I declined, but inquired about the mix (doing my due diligence for the blog!). She explained that it was homemade (see above) and I told her it was good.

A dining companion then piped up that I run this blog. She became more interested then and asked whether I had a “regular bloody or the special bloody”.

“Special bloody?” I asked.

She showed me a photo on a back of a menu:

image

Yes, this looks amazing (and quite similar to some other bloodies I’ve reviewed…), so next time, I’ll have to make sure to check it out!

Tally Ho

Posted: July 15, 2013 in Uncategorized
Tags: , , , ,

Today after golf in Hartford, I wanted to try a Bloody I hadn’t had before, so I stopped at Tally Ho in Erin. Apparently, they have a Bloody Mary bar every Sunday; however, by the time we arrived (2:30pm), it was over. Alas, I had to settle for a very average Bloody. That’s two weeks in a row now.

Spice: Average

Mix: Jimmy Luv’s

Chaser: Offered, but refused.

Fixin’s: Pickle & Two Olives

Price: $6

Based on this disappointing experience, I would have to advise you to head to Hank’s if you ever find yourself in Hartford on a Sunday afternoon!

On Sunday after golf, I stopped in to the Bowery Bar & Grill in Franklin, Wisconsin.

The Bowery is kind of a hole-in-the-wall place whose claim to fame is that is the “home of the deep fried taco.”

Anyway, I’d been there before, but realized I hadn’t rated the Bloody. So here goes:

Spice: Not spicy hot, but a good amount of spice.

Mix: Sacramento (My fave!) with their own spices added.

Chaser: Offered, but refused.

Fixin’s: Pickle & Two Olives

Price: $6

Pretty plain jane as far as my usual bloodies are concerned, but the flavor here was top-notch. I also give them bonus points for using the larger than pint-size glass.

I will preface this by saying that this post is long overdue.

A few months ago, I received a box of goodies from Demitri’s, In general, Demitri’s sells their bloody mary mix and rimmers to  hotels, bars, restaurants, nightclubs and grocery stores in all 50 states. That means, there is a good chance you’ve already sampled Demitri’s, but you may not even know it! They also sell direct to consumers online.

In addition to the original recipe, which is a zesty mix made with 14 all-natural ingredients that has won numerous awards, Demitri’s also offers three other varieties- Chipotle-Habenero, Chiles & Peppers and Extra Horseradish- which come in the following sizes:

  • 2 Ounce Pouch – Each pouch makes a quart of Bloody Mary mix when added to tomato juice, V8 or Clamato.
  • 8 Ounce Bottles – We call this pack size The Traveler. Make one Bloody Mary at a time with enough Seasonings left over to marinate a few steaks…or make more Bloody Marys!
  • 16 Ounce Bottles – Perfect for bar use ~ Flip-top dispenser and our squeezable, shatterproof PET bottle helps make individual drinks or batches perfect every time, in no time.
  • 64 Ounce Jugs – High volume sports bars, golf tournaments and the morning after the bachelor party.

Demetri’s was kind enough to send me a sampler pack containing (2) 2-oz pouches of each flavor, (1) 8-oz traveler of the original mix, plus (2) packages of two different rimshots (original & bacon).

When the package arrived, I was very excited to start mixing my very own Bloodys, but several factors prevented me from doing so right away.

First, I don’t make Bloodies at home all that often—usually, I would only be making them for myself and it’s rare that I would have all of the proper fixin’s on hand. If I’m going through all that trouble, why not just go out?

Two, I had a couple other mixes I needed to review and that took me a while (see first, above).

Three, when I was finally ready to try this out, I realized I didn’t have any tomato juice on hand to add it to! So, I bought some tomato juice and Clamato and kept it on hand for the next opportunity.

That opportunity came on July 4 when we had about a dozen people over to our home prior to watching the local parade begin at 9am. I served french toast casserole, fruit, muffins and… Bloodys!

I set up a build-your-own Bloody Bar in my backyard and whipped up two batches of Demitri’s: Original w/ Sacramento Tomato Juice and Chiles & Peppers w/ Clamato.

Guests could choose their own vodka (Skyy or Rehorst) and then choose from fixings such as: pepperjack cheese, pickles, celery, olives, horseradish, beefsticks and of course, Benny’s Bloody Mary Beefstraws.

Unfortunately, we were using plastic cups so the rimshots didn’t work as I had intended—I suppose we could have just used them as seasonings, but I saved them so that will need to be a post for another day!

The original mix was zesty, a great blend of spices. People at the party commented on how smooth the taste was.

However, since I like mine a little more spicy, I added a touch of horseradish and some pepper.

For my second bloody (hey, all in the name of research!), I tried the chiles & peppers. This one was more to my palate—as the website says “Demitri’s Chilies & Peppers flavor ratchets up the HEAT for extra spicy goodness, while keeping the flavor that has made Demitri’s synonymous with the perfect Mary.”

I have yet to try the extra horseradish or the spicy habanero, but I have a feeling those will be yummy as well. Can’t wait to have another party and use the rest!

Fans of Demitri’s can purchase the mixes and rimshots online, plus check out their store, wholesale options, their blog and community. I especially like the recipe options. In addition to making delicious drinks, the mix can make a great marinade or even be used with potatoes! Even though I don’t often make Bloodys at home for myself, I think I would have a lot of use for these mixes for cooking, too. I’ll have to try some of the recipes and blog about those as well.

Cheers!

Toward the end of June, I attended a conference in Kohler, Wisconsin. I stayed at the beautiful American Club resort and was able to play golf at both Blackwolf Run and the Irish Course at Whistling Straits. I also so happened to squeeze in some time to have a few bloodies. Read on.

The Horse & Plow


image

The Horse & Plow is an upscale pub located at the American Club resort. I had dinner there late one evening and couldn’t resist sampling their Bloody-and I’m glad I did.

Spice: Not spicy hot, but good.

Mix: The description says “house-made tomato juice ran through the garden”

Chaser: Small Miller Lite

Fixin’s: Lemon, Celery, Pickle, Olives, Brussels Sprout, Onion & Pepperocini

Price: $9

Here’s another photo, courtesy of Jason Oates, a fellow Bloody fan that I met at the conference:

image

The next day, I had a bloody while playing at Blackwolf Run; however—and this is so unlike me—I neglected to take a photo. In my defense, it wasn’t anything special as it was made from the drink cart and thus, limited in quality.

The following day I made sure to get to the course early so I could try a Bloody made at the bar at the Whistling Straits pub.

Whistling Straits Pub

image

Spice: Nice blend of spices.

Mix: Unsure.

Chaser: None offered.

Fixin’s: Lemon, Lime, Pickle, Olive

Price: Unknown (drinks provided as part of our package)

The moral of the story? If you’re looking for a good Bloody Mary in Kohler, be sure to check out the Horse & Plow. You won’t be disappointed. And, as far as on the course Bloody Marys go, the ones at Blackwolf Run & Whistling Straits are average—nothing special but they will hit the spot just the same.