Astoria, New York: Daly’s Pub

Posted: May 18, 2015 in Uncategorized
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On a recent visit to New York, we found ourselves in Astoria. Naturally, we had to check out the best bloody mary in the area. Per the interwebs, that spot would be Daly’s Pub.

Daly's Pub New York

Kate, our very friendly bartender, gladly whipped one up for us and chatted for a bit.

The recipe that Daly’s uses, she told us, came from a former bartender, who came up with just the right combination of spices to land them top billing. According to Kate, that bartender also used to bring fixin’s, such as shrimp to garnish the drinks.

Daly's Pub Bloody Mary

MIX: Sacramento Tomato Juice is the base

CHASER: None offered.

FIXIN’S: Lemon

PRICE: $8

This bloody was quite flavorful—you could taste the horseradish and Worcestershire—and knowing how much we love Sacramento, you could probably already guess we enjoyed it. It’s also quite charming that this bar does not serve food, but they have baskets of Doritos on the bar, a surprisingly good compliment to the bloody. Thanks so much for your hospitality, Daly’s!

Cleveland: Great Lakes Brewing Co.

Posted: May 18, 2015 in Uncategorized
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On a quick trip to Cleveland, we weren’t able to scout out any particular Bloody Marys, but we did find ourselves in the airport with time to grab a drink. So, we stopped at Great Lakes Brewing Co., where we were pleasantly surprised to find a few options to choose from.

Great Lakes Brewing Bloody Mary List

We went with The B.L.T.:

Great Lakes Brewing Bloody Mary

Here’s what it had to offer:

MIX: Homemade, with Absolut Peppar

CHASER: None offered.

FIXIN’S: Bacon, Lettuce

PRICE: $?

This was a pretty average bloody mary by our standards, even with the bacon. We wish we had tried some of their beer instead.

Pittsburgh, PA: Industry Public House

Posted: April 21, 2015 in Uncategorized
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While in Pittsburgh, we also stopped at the Industry Public House for lunch.

On this particular day, we enjoyed a great burger and a Bloody Mary.

Industry Public House Bloody Mary

Mix: Homemade

Chaser: Nope.

Fixin’s: Lemon, olive and pickle

Price: $6

This drink was pretty plain and simple as far as Bloody Marys go, but we liked it a lot. They make their own mix, which has a smooth, easy texture and a very fresh flavor. The pickle was also a little different, in a good way and the price was reasonable, too.

 

Pittsburgh, PA: Luke Wholey’s

Posted: April 21, 2015 in Uncategorized
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I recently visited the fine city of Pittsburgh. Prior to my trip, I did a quick search to find the best Bloody Marys in the city. Google was not helpful in my quest. No one place stood out, so I headed to the city thinking it would be a dud in terms of beverages.

However, I do believe in fate because I was walking down the street one day and came across this sign in front of a place called Luke Wholey’s:

Luke Wholey's

They also had a sample Bloody Mary set up on a cart. That grabbed my attention and got me in the door.

I quickly learned they are known for their seafood topped Bloody Marys and according to Earl, my bartender, they’re even been ranked #1 in the city by Pittsburgh Magazine (I could not find an online link to confirm, but he was so friendly I will give him the benefit of the doubt).

Anyway, he gave me the scoop on their bloodies, of which it is obvious he takes great pride in. He says they plan to offer a Bloody Mary menu at some point to feature their different varieties and house-infused vodkas.

By the time I arrived on a Saturday morning, they had sold out of the Crabby Mary simply because their shipment of crab is limited and the drinks are popular. I was still able to get this one with prawns:
Luke Wholey's Bloody Mary

Mix: Homemade–and spicy. They use Clique, a local vodka, and house infuse it with peppers to make a 5-alarm vodka.

Chaser: Nope.

Fixin’s: Celery, lemon, lime, olives, 2 prawns, 1 pickle

Price: $9

This drink was delicious and I highly recommend you check them out if you’re in the area. The restaurant is located in the Strip district and you’ll find many fun things to do right around there, like eclectic shops, farmer’s markets and other nearby cafes and restaurants.

Hopefully next time I’ll get to try a Crabby Mary or another variety!

McClure’s Bloody Mary Mix

Posted: April 21, 2015 in Uncategorized
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Between going “out for bloodies” and my travel schedule, it is usually hard for me to find time to make Bloody Marys at home, but when I found this jar of McClure’s Bloody Mary Mix at World Market, I couldn’t resist.

I had heard rave reviews from friends about McClure’s, such as “You can’t even taste the vodka” and “best Bloody Mary mix ever,” plus, they also make the Bloody Mary Potato Chips, so I was eager to test it out for myself.

I broke out this mix for a special occasion: Easter Sunday with the family.

To keep the test pure, I sampled the mix with an unflavored Skyy vokda. I did not add any spices, but I topped the drink with olives, celery and cheese.

McClures Bloody Mary Mix

This mix had a great consistency (I like my mix to be a little thicker). Although the jar was labeled “spicy,” I really didn’t find this to be spicy in a hot sense, but you can definitely taste the spices in the mix. My dad thought it was a peppery taste, while I tasted more pickle juice. Whatever the case, I couldn’t taste the vodka, just as my friend had warned me. This went down easy and was quite good.

The only problem for me personally is the size of the jar, I was able to make just three Bloody Marys from this jar.

Cheers!

Menomonee Falls, WI: Schwabenhof Bar

Posted: April 16, 2015 in Uncategorized
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We recently visited Schwabenhof Bar in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.

This is a large establishment that does catering and hosts parties in addition to serving dinner and having a large bar.

The bar has a large assortment of German beer in addition to a cocktail menu.

The Bloody Mary was listed on the menu, so we ordered one up:

Schwabenhof

Mix: Zing Zang, plus added spices.

Chaser: Bud Lite

Fixin’s:  Lemon and 2 Olives

Price: $5

This was made with Zing Zang, which we like, so the flavor was good. The fixin’s were very standard, but it came with a chaser and it was only $5, so we can’t complain, especially for a place with such a simple menu.

 

Phoenix, AZ: Dick’s Hideaway

Posted: March 25, 2015 in Uncategorized
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When researching the best Bloody Mary in the Phoenix area, Dick’s Hideaway kept coming up on a variety of lists, so we made it a point to stop in.

With a name like Dick’s Hideaway, what you get when you go there is not what you’d expect. Yes, it is a hideaway, a tiny hidden gem of a restaurant. But it serves authentic, traditional New Mexican cuisine, treasures from the Santa Fe Trail–not pub or island cuisine as I was guessing.

Looking over their menu then, you also wouldn’t expect them to have a decent Bloody Mary… but boy do they ever. Like many of their dishes, the bloody at Dick’s is made with a homemade mix containing a hefty dose of spice, Pinnacle vodka and garnished with lime, pickled asparagus, celery…. AND A CHASER!

Dick's Hideaway Bloody Mary

Mix: Homemade–and spicy!

Chaser: YES!

Fixin’s: Celery, asparagus and lime

Price: $?

We agree with many of the write-ups…Surprisingly, Dick’s has a great Bloody Mary and one of the best we’ve tasted in AZ. Along with the tasty drink, we enjoyed the Carne Adovada and left happy. This is all not so surprising, however, when you find out that Dick’s sister restaurant is Rokerij, a fabulous establishment we visited last year. Be sure to stop here and at Rokerij next time you’re in the area!

Scottsdale, AZ: Kelly’s at Southbridge

Posted: March 25, 2015 in Uncategorized
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We recently visited Kelly’s at Southbridge in Scottsdale, AZ. We stopped in here for a quick drink to kill time before a dinner reservation elsewhere, so we really kind of stumbled into this place.

It turned out to be really cool– a huge place with outdoor seating, eclectic furniture and decorations and a great menu… and, as it turns out, a tasty Bloody Mary:

Kelly's at Southbridge Bloody Mary

Mix: Lefty O’Doul’s!

Chaser: None offered.

Fixin’s: One olive, one lime

Price: $6

We loved the flavor of this Bloody Mary and we inquired about the mix; we were pleasantly surprised to find they use Lefty O’Doul’s mix, one we had run into and enjoyed at Lefty O’Doul’s pub in San Francisco. The rest of the fixin’s were pretty plain, but the flavor more than made up for it and the price was fair.

We’ll definitely come back to Kelly’s and see what else they have to offer in the future–we hear they are known for a great burger.

Glendale, AZ: Saddle Ranch Chop House

Posted: March 25, 2015 in Uncategorized
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While it is a chain, we enjoy visiting the Saddle Ranch Chop House in Glendale, AZ. We may or may not have even ridden the bull inside this country/western themed bar and restaurant…

They have an great selection of food and beverage options and we were especially excited to note that they have a special Bloody Mary menu featuring a variety of Bloodies for just $2.99 until 3pm daily:

SRCHDuring our stay, there was just one day that would work for us to take advantage of this, so we planned to hit it up one Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, we arrived at exactly 3pm and were told the special had ended. That’s okay, we said, can we still order a Bloody Mary at full price?

Yes, they said… but here was our only option:

Saddle Ranch Chop House Bloody Mary

Mix: They make their own, we think.

Chaser: None offered.

Fixin’s:  NONE

Price: $7.50

We were highly disappointed that not only did we miss the five specialty bloodies, but that we also had to pay over twice the price for what was, in our opinion, a below-average drink.

Next time we’re in the area, we’ll give them another shot and make sure to get there as early as possible.

Phoenix, AZ: Seasons 52

Posted: March 25, 2015 in Uncategorized
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We stopped by Seasons 52 in Phoenix on a recent trip. Seasons 52 is a restaurant that is known for serving dishes made with seasonally inspired ingredients at their peak of freshness. We’d previously visited an Atlanta location and enjoyed their food, but we had never tried their Bloody Mary, so we popped in here for Happy Hour.

Seasons 52 Bloody Mary

Mix: Homemade

Chaser: None offered.

Fixin’s: NONE

Price: $7.75

This Bloody Mary had good flavor, but it was WAY too plain for our taste, especially given the asking price (we thought we might get some sort of break during Happy Hour). Next time, we’ll stick to ordering their delicious seasonal fare.

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