Birthdays are a time for friends and phenomenal food, dancing and dresses, and, of course, tiaras and tequila.
Well, I guess some of those are optional, but when available, one should always jump on the opportunity to enjoy a boozy brunch with some of your favorite people (and ingredients). When the folks from Williams-Sonoma reached out to ask how I put my own spin on a traditional Bloody Mary, I had a quick flashback to the last only time I’ve ever enjoyed tried the classic brunch beverage. It involved a premade, super salty mix that tasted like tomato soup and disguised any and all hint of alcohol. In other words: silent, spicy, and deadly.
It was time for a change. Time to make sure that, as I celebrated another year passing, I let my brunch drink grow up with me.
Enter: Juicers!! My hostess for the weekend and her partner are the proud owners of a Breville Juice Fountain Compact that we used each day of my visit. This power-house packs a punch, and our juicing was efficient and yielded excellent, juicy results. I also couldn’t help but notice that it was small enough that it COULD fit into even MY itty bitty apartment…. maybe I’ll treat myself for my NEXT birthday!!
We’ll just call this the small wonder.
Although we couldn’t find any Jamaican Jerk Paste, we used one of my favorite show’s Jamaican-Style Bloody Mary recipes, and subbed tequila for vodka (we were enjoying jalapeno cream cheese, seemed only fitting).
The ingredients were fresh, fun, and (most importantly) GREEN! It’s my favorite color. I like to stick with themes.
Love those tomatillos!
The pepperoncini replaced poached shrimp as a garnish and we rimmed our glasses with my new FAVORITE spicy spice, Saint Lucifer Habanero Blend. This Bloody Maria is NOT for the faint of heart (or tastebuds).
I got to juicing. And, JUST LIKE THAT, it was juiced!
WHIR WHAM BAM!
Faster than a speeding bullet, and FAR fresher than any pre-packaged blend of tomato juice, this Bloody Maria was spicy, savory (thanks again, Worcestershire Sauce!), and super-sippable.
And not at all soupy.
I don’t think I’ve become a full on Bloody convert, I tend to prefer my brunch bevvies to be bubbly…. but throw some huevos rancheros on a plate, hit me with some chilaquiles, and I’d make this Bloody Maria part of any and all future brunches!
Bottoms Up!
*Full Disclosure: A member of Williams-Sonoma’s social team reached out to ask if I could write a post featuring some juicers, which worked out really well since we’d already planned a boozy birthday brunch! That said, I received no compensation from them for this post.*
Food, Sweat, and Beers 