Spicy Bloody Mary Tutorial

These snow days have really made me into a prolific blogger. Today, I'm going to share my recipe for bloody marys. Michael is really the mixologist in our household, but if there's one thing I do well, it's make a spicy bloody mary.

There are many ways to make a bloody mary, so my recipe certainly isn't the end all to be all in bloody mary techniques. But be warned, my recipe will produce a pretty spicy bloody mary.

Ingredients:
Spicy V-8 Juice
Jalapeno-Infused Vodka (see directions below)
Chipotle Tabasco Sauce
Worcestershire Sauce
Horseradish
Black Pepper
Limes
Ice

Tools:
Pint Glasses
Extra Glass for Mixing
Teaspoon

None of my measurements are precise. I always just eyeball it, but here, I've tried to estimate about how much of each ingredient I put in.

Directions:

1. Spoon about a half a teaspoon of horseradish into each glass. The only thing we've been able to find in our local stores is cream-style prepared horseradish, and it works. But if you have the option, grated horseradish is the way to go.

2. Sprinkle about a half a teaspoon of black pepper into each glass--just enough to blanket the bottom of the glass.

3. Put about 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire into each glass.

4. Put 5 healthy dashes of Chipotle Tabasco into each glass.

5. Squeeze about a teaspoon of lime juice into each glass. (Unfortunately, I didn't have limes today.)

6. Pour about a shot of jalapeno-infused vodka into each glass.

The jalapeno vodka isn't super spicy itself, but it definitely has a distinct flavor. You can buy pepper vodkas in the store, but Michael and I infuse our own. Although it sounds intimidating, it's really super easy.

For about a fifth of vodka, you remove the seeds and ribs of 10-15 jalapeno peppers and chop them up. You submerge the chopped jalapenos in the vodka and place in a cool, dark place for about 5 days. The mouth of most bottles isn't large enough to get the jalapenos in and out, so I use a large hermetically-sealed jar. After 5 days, you spoon out the jalapenos and strain through some cheese cloth. We just strain it back into its original bottle using a funnel. That's it! So easy.

7. Stir all the ingredients in the glass.

8. Fill each glass about three-quarters full with ice.

9. Top off with Spicy V-8 juice.

10. Standing over the kitchen sink to avoid a mess, pour each glass into the extra glass and back again until all of the ingredients are good and mixed.

11. Many choose to garnish with celery, which serves as a stirrer to keep your ingredients all mixed. I personally hate celery and the flavor it adds, so I use chopsticks.