Yesterday, instead of heading down to the East Side for the Tomato Romp like I have for the past few years, I decided to head to East Tosa for a new event instead—the Bloody Mary Throwdown.
The Bloody Mary Throwdown is a Bloody Mary competition designed to crown the best Bloody in East Tosa and was added as part of the “Chili’n on the Avenue” chili cookoff event, which typically takes place in July. However, this year, since East Tosa hosted the Gran Prix event, the Chili’n event was pushed back (and I actually think it works much better in September—who wants to eat chili in July?!) and they added some new elements, including the throwdown.
For $5, participants could purchase a 5oz Bloody Mary at each of four participating establishments and rate them on various characteristics. 
Here are my notes on each:
Of the four places, Sherbrooke was the only one where I had previously enjoyed a Bloody Mary. Known for their Canadian fare (we also enjoyed poutine while there), this Bloody Canuck was made using a basil garlic infused vodka and included a pickle, lemon, lime, olive and smoked mozzarella. I thought this was a solid bloody overall, but it was not my personal favorite on the day. My companions, however, liked this one the best.
(Note the bar is covered in pennies—good trivia question: It is made of $182 worth if you’re wondering!)
Also: We ended up back at Sherbrooke later in the day, where I tried another variety of Bloody—the bacon horseradish. It is named for the infused vodka and sadly, did not actually include bacon.
2) Bel Air Cantina (Bel Air Mary)
Bel Air Cantina is a new Mexican restaurant in East Tosa and a very popular joint thanks to their $2 tacos on Tuesdays & Thursdays. I’ve always enjoyed their margaritas, but never a Bloody Mary.
Theirs was made with tequila instead of vodka, technically making it a Bloody Maria. It was also made with “sangrita,” a special mixture of tomato juice, orange juice and other flavorings (not to be confused with sangria!).
For a garnish, there was chorizo, lemon, lime, an olive, jalapeno and cheese.
This was definitely a unique Bloody Mary, but I was not a fan of the tequila.
3) Il Mito (Chili Infusion)
Il Mito is an Italian restaurant in Tosa and as such, this Bloody had an Italian flair—it was made with a mixture of red pepper and cucumber infused vodkas and included a garnish of smoked mozzarella and a grilled brussels sprout. It was yummy, but not my favorite.
4) Cranky Al’s (Bloody Buddy)
Cranky Al’s, the donut shop by morning and pizza parlor by night establishment, was the most surprising to me—maybe because I wasn’t even aware they had a liquor license. Despite a bad start (the bartender accidentally forgot the tomato juice at first!), this ended up being my favorite. It came with a lemon, lime and slice of bacon and had a spicy/sweet flavor—much like a BBQ potato chip.
After casting our votes, we were entered into a drawing to win various prizes. Then, we headed over to the chili and salsa competition for some more fun with tomatoes.
All in all, it was a really fun day/event, but we didn’t get to see the results of the competition. In case you’re wondering, Sherbooke was crowned the Bloody victor.
I’m hoping they will keep the throwdown as part of the Chili’n event in the future—maybe Walter’s or Juniper 61 will join in—or maybe they will let civilians enter like they do for the chili aspect!
I’m also hoping they will consider making this a fall event anually. I thought this was the perfect time of year and I’m already looking forward to next year’s event.
Kudos to the committee for pulling off such a fun event!
Cheers!
PS-My real favorite Bloody of the day didn’t come from the event—we kicked off the morning with some awesome Bloodies made by my friend Sarah:
Out For Bloodies 