by The Intoxicologist

Created on: September 14, 2007

Sundays usually bring to mind family time, relaxation, and tradition. For me, no matter where I am, Sunday mornings remind me of my oldest brother. He's a bachelor living in this great, old, two bedroom house that he worked on for years fixing it up. It has the best wooden floors and this fabulous front porch meant for drinking coffee and working on crossword puzzles, which is exactly what he does on Sunday mornings until the coffee pot runs dry. When the coffee pot is empty he announces that it is Bloody Mary time. It isn't just any Bloody Mary. No. It is my brother's Bloody Mary. It is an event. It is a meal to be savored and enjoyed.

The Bloody Mary had never been among my favorite drinks or even top twenty or hundred for that matter, until I tried one that my brother made. I liked tomato juice. I liked V8 juice. I liked vodka. I liked spicy. So I couldn't figure out how combining all of those things never worked out in a drink. It didn't make sense to me. This was a drink I tried over and over again, because I really wanted to like it. It seemed pretty basic with a shot of vodka, some pepper, Tabasco, celery salt and Bloody Mary mix. Basic was all wrong. Sometimes basic is just getting by. Just getting by is rarely ever fun.

The recipe I am sharing today is a blend of a vodka infusion I learned, my brother's recipe, and some tweaks I added along the way.

Bloody Mary Vodka Infusion

For the vodka infusion you will need a lidded jar, large enough to hold the following:

1 Bottle of Tito's Vodka (or quality vodka of your choice)
1 Fresh Red Bell Pepper (seeded and thickly sliced)
1 Fresh Jalapeo Pepper (seeded and sliced down the middle)
Whole Peeled Garlic Cloves (approximately 5 per liter of vodka)
Whole Black Peppercorns (1-2 per liter of vodka)
Funnel and cheesecloth for later use

Combine all of the above ingredients in a jar. Seal and place in the refrigerator for at least 48 hours. Ingredients may be left longer if desired, but this is not necessary. I recommend keeping the original liquor bottle for returning the infused vodka to later. After 48 hours, remove the infusion from the refrigerator. Double up cheesecloth over the funnel and place funnel inside the Tito's vodka bottle. Strain infusion into the original bottle, throwing out the peppers, garlic and such. Place infused vodka in the refrigerator or freezer for storage. Do no keep infused vodka at room temperature as it may mold.

Bloody Mary Recipe

2 oz Tito's Bloody Mary Infused Vodka
Freshly Squeezed Lime

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