Earlier this summer, we were honored to be hosted for a round of golf at Blue Mound Golf and Country Club in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. It was a hot day spent on the links and the cold bloody on the patio afterwards was oh-so-refreshing.
Spice & Mix: Perfect amount of spice, mix unknown.
Fixin’s: Beef Stick, Lemon, Lime and Olive
Chaser: None offered.
Price: $Unknown
Blue Mound is a private club, so it will be hard to get another one of these, but if I have the chance again, I will jump at it! And, if you ever find yourself as lucky as I was to be on this course, be sure to stop at the 19th hole for one of these!
Later post! Totally forgot to post this Bloody from Another Broken Egg Cafe in Tampa, Florida.
We were here shortly before the holidays and I guess this post got lost in the shuffle… this restaurant was delicious! We got the seasonal Gingerbread pancakes with eggnog whipped cream and we can still taste it when we close our eyes.
They also had four different bloodies on the menu. We went with the basic Tito’s Mary and it was anything but.
Spice & Mix: The descriptions on the menu don’t really do these things justice. We don’t remember this having too little or too much spice, so it was probably just right.
Fixin’s: Lime, Olive, Carrot, Okra, Celery and Bacon. Yum!
Chaser: None offered.
Price: $10.99
We found out this is a chain restaurant, but it was very good and we highly recommend this breakfast spot if there’s one near you!
I had been to all of the other Lowlands Group restaurants for brunch and bloodies and they were all very good, but had yet to try the relatively new Buckatabon in Wauwatosa. As you may have noticed, our going “out for bloodies” has slowed significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lack of travel/new places to try.
Thus, we were excited to put ourselves back out there with the Buckatabon Bloody
Spice & Mix: “Vodka, bloody mary mix, celery juice, dill pickle, mushroom, olives, celery, topped with Frank’s Secret Shake Seasoning” says the menu. This was not overly spicy.
Fixin’s: Pickle, Mushroom and Olive were present. We didn’t get celery or notice any Frank’s.
Chaser: Yes, your choice
Price: $9.5
Even though the bloody we received didn’t quite match the description on the menu, like all the others at Cafe Hollander (right next door), Cafe Benelux, etc. was very tasty.
They also had a special “Smug Clam” Bloody on the menu that we’ll have to try next time:
We also had the avocado toast, which was a little rich/saucy for our taste, but very good nonetheless. It’s always nice to have more bloody mary options in town!
Spice & Mix: “A unique blend of Absolut® Lime & Peppar combined with organic Bloody Mary mix served in a hurricane glass rimmed with our Jamaican Jerk seasoning.”
Fixin’s: Lemon, Olive, Jalapeno, Celery
Chaser: None offered.
Price: $10.50
This restaurant is very good; we dined here twice during our week-long stay. Excellent seafood and an extensive food and beverage menu. This bloody, however, is not one of the better things on the menu. We tried a couple other cocktails that we enjoyed much more. There is nothing special about the bloody and even with the jalapeno and seasoning, this drink didn’t have a lot of heat. Save the calories and the alcohol for another specialty beverage instead!
From Up North, we headed down south as our travels next took us to Englewood, Florida. No less than four days after we had our first wine-based Bloody Mary, we were invited to visit the Blue Pineapple Bistro where all of their bloodies are made with a wine-based alcohol! Seriously, what are the chances?
Blue Pineapple has multiple bloodies on its menu which double as entire meals. Choose from cheeseburgers, grilled cheese, crab, antipasto and more:
And, although they each retail for $20, consider it your lunch/dinner and a drink. We made the mistake of also ordering
Spice & Mix: House mix with a wine-based alcohol
Fixin’s: SO MANY. They vary by the type you order. See photos above!
Chaser: None offered.
Price: $20
We decided to go with the cheese burger slider bloody and were not disappointed. Bacon, sliders, onion rings, pickles and more topped this delicious beverage and, again, you couldn’t tell that the drink was made with wine instead of vodka. The drink was super smooth and delicious.
The atmosphere here was also great. We sat on the patio in the sunshine and listed to live music by an acoustic guitarist while we dined.
This place is a must-go if you’re anywhere within 20 minutes of Englewood. Add it to your list and come hungry!
Our next stop in Hayward was Out of the Woods Winery, so we really weren’t expecting to find a bloody mary on their menu…much less a wine-based bloody!
Their “Wine Bloody Marie” intrigued us so we had to try it. We were looking forward to sampling their wines, so we just chose the bloody as one of our three tastings.
Spice & Mix: Miss Mary’s Bloody Mary Mix with a Spanish Red Wine
Fixins: Pickle, Cheese, Olive
Chaser: None offered
Price: We chose this as one of our tastings (3 for $12, plus you get to keep the glass)
In all our years sampling bloodies, we’ve never had one made with wine, so we had to sample this one! Honestly, you really couldn’t tell the difference at all. We were shocked.
There was nothing wrong with this bloody and we encourage you to be open minded when sampling a Bloody Mary made with other alcohols than vodka (e.g. gin, tequila, etc.); however, this establishment does have several great wines worth tasting, so don’t go out of your way to get the Bloody Marie here. It’s just good to know it’s an option and that it is tasty.
Spice & Mix: “Award-winning house recipe made with veggie-infused vodka”
Fixins: Lemon, Olives, Pickle, Pepperoncini
Chaser: Your choice of Angry Minnow’s beers
Price: $8
We loved the cozy atmosphere of this place. It felt like we were in an old church, but it was a historic building that originally housed the offices of Northern Wisconsin Lumber Company.
They had a limited menu but lots of options. We chose their spent grain stuffed pretzels (three varieties) and they were the perfect appetizer to accompany our beverages.
Cute little place to check out if you’re in the area!
Continuing on our Up North Bloody Mary pilgrimage, we stopped in at the Moccasin Bar in Hayward, Wisconsin. Right down the street from the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, the venue has the World’s Largest Muskie as well as a “wildlife” museum, comprised of taxidermy art.
You’ve got imbibing chipmunks, raccoon boxing matches and much, much more.
And, of course, a solid bloody mary.
Spice & Mix: The bartender told us that due to COVID-19, they couldn’t mix their own bloodies. We were perplexed by this but okay, whatever, I guess. He told us they use a Bloody Mary mix called Whitney’s. If you want to doctor it up, they’ll give you the jar of horseradish and the bottle of tabasco. [Shrug]
Fixin’s: Pickle, Olive and Beefstick
Chaser: Your choice
Price $7
If you’ve made it all the way to Hayward, you can’t NOT visit the Moccasin Bar. It’s worth the trip just to see the taxidermy art.
We had also dined at the restaurant when it was a previous establishment and we liked what Crafty Cow has done to update the decor.
However, overall, unfortunately we weren’t impressed by the Bloody Mary, the prices, or the service. For more bang for our buck and much better bloodies, especially on a Sunday during a Packers game, we’re heading to the other new burger joint in the neighborhood instead: Badger Burger Company.
On a recent trip “Up North” in Wisconsin, we stopped at SentryWorld Golf Course in Steven’s Point. It was late November and there was a light dusting of snow on the ground so we didn’t get to see the course’s signature landscaping, but we did get to check out their gem of a restaurant/bar called PJ’s SentryWorld Restaurant.
Spice & Mix: Your choice of Bakon vodka, Chippewa River dill or garlic vodka, or Absolut Peppar vodka with housemade mix
Price: $9… but we got $1 off because it was happy hour
We had also dined at the restaurant and we loved the vibe. It was a cozy, open, airy place with bright artwork and impeccable craftsmanship.
We ordered a burger and it was delicious. For a restaurant on a golf course, the prices were more than reasonable and the service was fantastic. Next time we visit, we hope to get out on the course and play, but we were super satisfied with our visit.
This weekend, we checked out one of Wauwatosa’s newer establishments, Crafty Cow.
Crafty Cow is a family owned bar and restaurant with three locations: Oconomowoc (2014), the Bayview neighborhood of Milwaukee (2016), and East Wauwatosa (2021). They specialize in craft burgers and chicken sandwiches, as well as craft beer and craft cocktails.
We were excited to try their “award-winning” Bloody Mary, but unfortunately came away less than impressed:
Spice & Mix: “Award-winning house recipe made with veggie-infused vodka”
Fixin’s: Lemon, Lime, Bacon, Cheese Curd and Pickle (Menu notes olive also but we didn’t get one.)
Chaser: None offered.
Price: $11.
For a place with such a great-looking food menu that prides itself on the craftsmanship of its craft cocktails, I have to say we were very disappointed with this Bloody Mary. The cheese curd was dumped in the Bloody, floating to the bottom on its own, not a toothpick in sight. There was also no chaser offered, which is weird since you’d think they would be pairing it with a craft beer… it just seemed thrown together, almost like they didn’t even care.
Yes, it was brunch time on a Sunday, but the restaurant wasn’t busy at all. In fact, I had to get up from the table to find our server at one point to request more silverware.
As far as food goes, we both had the avocado toast and it was a generous portion with a unique spin (roasted brussels sprouts) and we will say that it was very good and very filling.
We had also dined at the restaurant when it was a previous establishment and we liked what Crafty Cow has done to update the decor.
However, overall, unfortunately we weren’t impressed by the Bloody Mary, the prices, or the service. For more bang for our buck and much better bloodies, especially on a Sunday during a Packers game, we’re heading to the other new burger joint in the neighborhood instead: Badger Burger Company.
Out For Bloodies 