On a trip to Arizona, we stopped at Saddle Mountain Brewing in Goodyear, AZ. We were not disappointed by the B-17 Bloody!

Spice: Just right thanks to the peppered vodka

Mix: Made with homemade peppered vodka

Chaser: Ray’s Gold IPA

Fixin’s: Cheese, Pepperoni, olives

Price: $10

Meat, cheese, a chaser and a salted rim? Outside of the Midwest? How can this be real? When it comes to good Bloodies, we don’t ask questions, we just drink! This bloody was fantastic, as was the sidecar of their own beer. We also had a delicious burger. Next time we’re in Goodyear, we’ll be back!

Atlanta, GA: Lure

Posted: October 23, 2017 in Uncategorized

We headed south to Atlanta where we visited a seafood restaurant called Lure for a private event.

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Spice: Delicious flavor.

Mix: Unsure.

Chaser: None offered.

Fixin’s: Olive, tomato, pickle, lemon

Price: $unsure

While the fixin’s were slim, they were decent. Plus, the bartender asked us our preference as far as spice and salted rim, so that was a plus. This is not a place we would seek out for a Bloody next time we are in town, but it’s nice to know it was an acceptable choice!

Milwaukee, WI: Storyhill BKC

Posted: October 23, 2017 in Uncategorized

This is our second review of Storyhill BKC.

The first time we visited them was shortly after they opened. I have gone there several times since and they have become a nice staple in my lunch rotation.

I’m sad that I haven’t seen that Bloody Mary Salad on their menu in quite some time, but I’m glad they now have two Bloody Marys on their menu –and they’ve made a few improvements to those cocktails as well.

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On this occasion we stuck with their standard Bloody.

Mix: Homemade–plus you can choose from bacon or veggie-infused vodka for a small upcharge

Chaser: Yes-a shorty!

Fixin’s: Lemon, Lime, Pickle, Celery, Beefstick and Cheese

Price: $8

 

 

The other offering, which we have not yet tried is called the “Garden Variety” Bloody. At $9, it boasts a sausage fixin’ and pico de gallo, so you know it’s a bit spicier all around.

Now that Storyhill has upped their Bloody Mary game, we like to visit more often. It doesn’t hurt that the food is fresh and delicious as well!

 

West Allis, WI: Brass Monkey

Posted: October 23, 2017 in Uncategorized

After a round of golf earlier this summer, we stopped into the Brass Monkey in West Allis and decided to have a bloody with a side of tater tots.

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Spice: Not too spicy.

Mix: Unsure.

Chaser: Yes-your choice from the taps.

Fixin’s: Pickle, Olive, Cheese Whip & Beef Stick

Price: $Unsure

When you’re on a streak of bad luck trying new bloody marys, you can always count on ‘Stallis bars to give you a boost!

This Bloody Mary really hit the spot and the extra beef and cheese was much appreciated. At the time of our visit, they also had New Glarus’ Serendipity on tap, so while it was an usual pairing, we go to sample that gem as our chaser.

We’ll definitely be back here. The food was good, too and it seemed like they had decent specials!

11/12/17 Update:

As promised, we did return to Brass Monkey. This time, we came on a Sunday for a football game. They had free food at halftime and shots for touchdowns and of course, bloodies.

Today, however, we did not enjoy our Bloody Mary. The mix tasted very heavy on celery salt (we know they had mixed a large jug for the Sunday crowd, so we were hesitant to ask for a new one, lest the whole jug taste the same) and we were not offered a chaser.

We will not let this one bad experience deter us, but we’re hoping this is an anomaly.

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We recently visited Curly’s Waterfront Pub after a day on the links.

Located on Pewaukee Lake, Curly’s offers a nice view while dining on your typical pub fare.

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Spice: Decent flavor; the bartender asked if I wanted it spicy–I did!

Mix: Unsure.

Chaser: Miller Lite

Fixin’s: Olive and Pickle

Price: $Unsure

This Bloody Mary was pretty average by all standards. Definitely not bad, but also not something special either. If you find yourself near Pewaukee Lake and need a pub, this is a good one to visit, but not worth the trip for the Bloody alone.

Wauwatosa, WI: ABV Social

Posted: October 23, 2017 in Uncategorized

Dear loyal readers…. first of all, let us apologize for the hiatus! We are still active and drinking bloody marys! We just haven’t had a lot of new ones to review lately, nor a lot of time to give them a proper a write-up.

But we’re ba-aack!

Earlier this month we sampled the Bloody Maria at ABV Social in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.

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While we’re sure they would have made us a Bloody Mary if we had asked, we ordered the Bloody Maria as it was featured on the menu.

As you can see from the photo above, we were pretty disappointed with the result.

Spice: Decent flavor; a little spicier with the tequila.

Mix: Unsure.

Chaser: None offered.

Fixin’s: Nothing!

Price: $10!

We want to like this place, really, we do, but it’s not going so well. On this particular visit, a dining companion had to order three beers before they actually had one in stock that was on their menu. (“Sorry, we’re all out of that one.” “Oh, and that one, too…”)

This expensive Bloody Maria with no fixin’s and sans chaser may have been the final strike for us on ABV Social. Too many other places to go with better offerings and better service.

We recently dined at Ruscello, the Mediterranean-style restaurant located inside Nordstrom’s Department Store in Mayfair Mall. There, we enjoyed lunch and a Bloody Mary.

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Spice: Good flavor; lots of spice, but not too spicy in terms of heat.

Mix:Homemade.

Chaser: None offered

Fixin’s: Two Olives, Lemon & Lime

Price: $?

This was a day when the “hair of the dog” was needed–and much appreciated. You can tell that Ruscello at least doctored up a mix (if they didn’t make their own), by how many spices were visible within the drink. Despite the many spices, it didn’t have any odd or overpowering tastes and was not too spicy in terms of heat. I would’ve liked to see a chaser included and/or more fixin’s, but other than that, this was a solid beverage. Thanks, Ruscello!

Recently we paid a visit to Pike Lake House over the lunch hour. While we enjoyed a soup and sandwich, we also decided to try their Bloody Mary.

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Spice: Not too spicy…

Mix: They use Jimmy Luv’s

Chaser: None offered

Fixin’s: Pickle, Olive, Mushroom and Mozzarella Cheese Stick

Price: $5.68

We had never been to this bar/pub before, so we had no expectations regarding their food or drink; thus, we were surprised when the bartender went to the kitchen to grab a mozzarella cheese stick to add to the top of our drink.

That was a nice touch.

At just $5 plus tax, this is what I consider to be a decent-priced drink. Adding the mozzarella stick made it definitely worth it, even without offer of a chaser. I didn’t ask for one (because I like to see what is offered originally at establishments), but I have a hunch that the bartender just forgot to offer one to me as I did see “chaser-type” glasses behind the bar.

We aren’t the biggest fans of Jimmy Luv’s, but that was okay with us, too. Again, the cheese stick was a giant distraction, especially since we were hungry upon ordering and that helped tide me over until lunch arrived.

While the Bloody Mary was good and the food was also tasty, we were a little disappointed in the pricing of the food. My dining companion and I split an entree and we were charged $5 for a split plate charge. I don’t recall seeing that notice on the menu and we certainly weren’t told about that at the time of order. We had also ordered soup on the side, so at that price, we should’ve just ordered two entrees.

Because it is so far off the beaten path, this isn’t a place we’d be likely to return to often, even if everything was the best we’ve ever had, so we’ll overlook that, too, for now. Just beware if you’re in the same boat!

We recently spent a day shopping in the cute downtown area of Delafield, Wisconsin.

In preparation for the day, we researched lunch spots and bloody marys. Several recommendations on both accounts led us to Revere’s Wells Street Tavern.

Thus, we stopped here for drinks and a bite to eat.

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Spice: Not too spicy

Mix: Their own recipe

Chaser: Choice of Taps (we picked Blue Moon)

Fixin’s: Beef stick, pickle, two olives, lemon, lime and cheese whips

Price: $7

We loved the atmosphere in here, an old house with a cozy vibe. We enjoyed our lunch after choosing from a menu with a wide variety of offerings: a turkey wrap and sour cream and chive fries. And most of all, we did love their bloody mary. which was extremely flavorful and had a great number of fixin’s.

If you’re ever in downtown Delafield, we definitely recommend stopping by at least for a drink!

Oak Creek, WI: Jim Dandy’s

Posted: November 29, 2016 in Uncategorized

After years of visiting Mulligan’s Pub, we finally decided to give Jim Dandy’s across the street a try.

From the outside of the bar, it looks a little intimidating, like an old biker bar.

Inside, it is a place in various states of renovation. Some parts of the bar look old and original; others look like they are newer additions. It gives the place a slightly eclectic vibe to begin.

We came here on a Sunday afternoon during a Packers game and the place had a decent crowd but was not packed.

Of course, we tried their bloody mary.

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Spice: Not too spicy

Mix: They whip it up themselves using Sacramento as a base.

Chaser: None offered

Fixin’s: Beef stick and pickle (and olives?)

Price: $5

You know by now that we LOVE Sacramento, so these bloodies went down easily (almost TOO easily–we had three!). The taste was great, but the fixin’s left a little to be desired; there was just a pickle and beefstick on two of the drinks we had, and a pair of olives was added to the third. However, for this price, we were pretty happy. Plus, the bartender was friendly.

Verdict? We’d give Jim Dandy’s another shot if we’re in the area, a nice change of pace from the other area pubs.