Have it your way! Then let guests have it their own way! That’s the beauty of having a DIY Bloody Mary Bar at your next party! Everyone likes their cocktail with a different level of heat and different add-on garnishes. Some people like stuffed olives or onions; others like cucumber slices and pickles! Plus, you can get creative with how you display the garnishes by using a fun serving platter, cute colorful bowls, or a Lazy Susan.
Bloody Mary Garnish Options
Have plenty of cocktail picks and spears so guests can create any combination of accoutrements!
Celery (for the traditionalists!)
Olives
Lemon wedges
Lime wedges
Pineapple slices
Cocktail onions
Carrots
Cucumber slices
Pickles
Mushrooms
Bacon (yes, bacon!)
Shrimp
Baby potatoes
Basil leaves and cherry tomatoes
Cilantro
That’s Bloody Fantastic!
I offer a Bloody Mary Bar at a lot of my parties because Bloody Mary cocktails are versatile and pair well with a lot of different foods. They work with burgers, seafood, tacos (which you can also present as a build-your-own bar!), flatbread pizzas, and a range of hors d’oeuvres.
Over the years, I’ve featured a lot of different Bloody Mary recipes from the St. Regis ‘The Bloody Mary’ Cocktail Book, which is one of my favorite cocktail recipe resources. Each St. Regis hotel around the world features its own signature Bloody Mary cocktail, and I think I’ve tried them all at this point! If you plan to entertain with a Bloody Mary Bar, the classic recipe that started it all back in 1934 is a good starting place. You can check out the recipe below. It will make you a nice large pitcher of Bloody Mary mix.
St. Regis New York “Red Snapper”
Juice of 3 lemons
2.5 liters tomato juice
5 oz. Worcestershire sauce
10 dashes Tabasco® sauce
2 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp. ground cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. ground celery salt
2 tbsp. whole black peppercorns
1 oz. premium vodka (per serving)
Pour first 8 ingredients into a container and shake well. Use immediately or seal and refrigerate. Strain peppercorns from mix before adding alcohol. Fill a 12 oz. glass with ice. Add vodka. Fill glass with Bloody Mary mix and garnish. Or in this case, let your guests garnish for themselves! Woo!
What’s your favorite food to enjoy with a Bloody Mary? Let us know in the comments below!
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