Posts Tagged ‘bloody Mary’

Beer Belly’s

Posted: August 7, 2013 in Uncategorized
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On Sunday, at a friend’s recommendation (from an advertisement he had seen), I visited Beer Belly’s, a bar/restaurant located near the airport.

Spice: Average (they did not ask whether I wanted it spicy or not)

Mix: Made from scratch

Chaser: Miller Lite

Fixin’s: Pickle, Olives, Beef, Cheese, Hard Boiled Egg, Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Wing

Price: $7.99

This was a 26 oz house-made drink and the mix was very good (I found out they use the Sacramento Tomato Juice—figures!).The unique items (egg & chicken wing) make it memorable and the price is certainly reasonable, considering this is almost two drink Bloodies in one. I’d definitely come back here again. Great job, Beer Belly’s!

I’ve lived in/near Tosa for basically my whole life, yet I’ve never set foot in Colonel Hart’s until a couple of weeks ago.

Of course, I had to try their Bloody Mary:

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As you can see, it was pretty average.

Spice: Average

Mix: Unknown

Chaser: None

Fixin’s: Pickle, Olive, Lemon & Lime

Price: $6

There was nothing wrong with the Bloody or my Colonel Hart’s experience, but there wasn’t anything that really made the experience stand out either. Everything was pretty standard. I think I’ll stick with my established favorite neighborhood haunts.

I reviewed one of my favorite Bloodies late last year—the Matty’s Mary from Matty’s Bar & Grill; however, I recently returned and noticed that—much to my delight—Matty’s had added to it’s fixin’s.

Take a look at the original:

Notice anything different here?

Yes— a mini brat, on a bun, a welcome addition to this already wonderful drink. Enjoy!

Tally Ho

Posted: July 15, 2013 in Uncategorized
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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


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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:

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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

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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.

On Friday, I hit another Third Ward location for Bloodies. This time, Cafe Benelux.

Benelux is part of the Lowlands Group of restaurants which includes some of my favorite places to get a Bloody Mary:Cafe Hollander, Trocadero, and Cafe Centraal. (In writing this I just realized I haven’t reviewed ANY of those here yet—FOR SHAME! Don’t worry, I will get on that!)

Anyway, each of these hot spots boasts an impressive and tasty variety of Bloodies. Here’s the Benelux Lineup:

I had the Athenian and one of my dining partners had the Red Barbie (and kindly let me have a taste), so I’m able to review both of those here.

The Athenian

Spice: Not spicy hot, but good.

Mix: Their own mix with Effen Cucumber Vodka

Chaser: Small light beer.

Fixin’s: Lemon, Lime, Feta Cheese, Kalamta Olive, Olive, Grape Tomato, Pickle and Asparagus

Price: $9

I LOVED this drink. It quickly shot up in the ranks to become one of my favorites.

The Rad Barbie

Spice: Not spicy hot, but good; BBQ sauce was overpowering

Mix: Their own mix, made with horseradish-infused Van Gogh vodka

Chaser: Small light beer.

Fixin’s: Lemon, Lime, Pickle, Olive, Asparagus, Bacon

Price: $9

This one was also a winner, but with a couple of caveats—one, I am all for horseradish, but I couldn’t taste the vodka in this drink because the bbq sauce was overpowering. However, the sauce was also tasty, so it’s not a terrible thing. Just don’t know if I could drink more than one of these.

On Thursday, I attended an afterwork event at Ryan Braun’s Graffito in the Third Ward.

It was Happy Hour and they have some really great specials; unfortunately, Bloodies aren’t one of them, but I hadn’t had theirs before and wanted to add it to the list. Thus, in the name of the blog here you go!

Spice: Very peppery, but good!

Mix: Not sure.

Chaser: None offered.

Fixin’s: Lemon, Lime, 1/2 a Beefstick & Two Olives

Price: $9

I’ve heard Graffito has a good brunch, so I’d definitely recommend getting a Bloody while you’re at it!

On Memorial Day, I played golf at Kettle Moraine Golf Club in Dousman, Wisconsin. There are not many bars/restaurants in the area, so afterward, we headed to the clubhouse for a cold beverage.

This was pretty much your standard Bloody Mary, no bells, no whistles, no beef stick, no burger. Definitely wouldn’t go out of my way to have it again, but when your options are limited, it still gets the job done.

Spice: Not spicy hot, but good.

Mix: Tomato juice, with their own spices added.

Chaser: None offered.

Fixin’s: Pickle and two olives.

Price: $5