The Wafoodie Mary

I never used to be a Bloody Mary fan. During last year's football season, I gave it another shot and ordered a Meat Mary at The Tap House. A Bloody Mary with Bakon Vodka and a half submerged crispy piece of bacon came out to greet me. And, for the first time in my life I liked it. I don't think it was the bacon, although that certainly helped. I think I just had the tomato wake-up juice enough times for it to finally grow on me.

Erin hates them. The tomato juice is an instant killer for her. Add spices, pepper, and a stalk of celery, and you are not making an drink she will even taste. She'll stick with her mimosas for football brunch. But me, now, I'm a Bloody Mary man.

So when football season rolled around this year, I set out to create my new found cocktail. Looking over the grocery list I had scribbled up, you would have thought I was cooking a three course dinner. The shear amount of ingredients that go into this drink are a testament to the vast number of recipes and variations suggested online. Here goes the method I've used lately and have been extremely pleased with.

The Wafoodie Mary

• 1 tsp celery salt
• 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp Frank's hot sauce
• 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 4 oz tomato juice
• 3 oz vodka
• 1 tsp Dried dill
• 1 tbsp horseradish
• Ice
• 1 kosher pickle
• 1 blue cheese stuffed olive
• 1 slice crispy bacon

1. Combine celery salt, pepper, Frank's, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, lemon juice, tomato juice, vodka, dill, and horseradish in a cocktail shaker.
2. Optionally, toss in the squeezed lemon and lime.
3. Fill shaker with ice. Pour contents of shaker into pint glass back and forth 4 or 5 times.
4. Pour drink into pint glass and garnish with pickle, olive, and bacon on a cocktail skewer.