Friends of Robert
Redd knew him to be a man of moderate tastes and habits—but by no means a
teetotaler. Redd mixed many a mean drink, whether for the enjoyment of guests
at a dinner party, or for fellow spectators at the horse races, and
occasionally to enjoy himself while reclining in the austere, fire-lit library
of his family estate.
It should come as
no surprise to our readers that Redd, a connoisseur of the tomato and a
meticulous crafter of mixtures—whether the ingredients in question were colors,
crop strains or the embellishments of a drink—encountered, tested, and tweaked
a variety of Bloody Mary recipes during his lifetime. While these exact mixes
remain Redd family secrets, we at REDD hunted down five of the most
REDD-worthy Bloody Mary mixes on the Internet:
Classic Bloody Mary by
Tabasco.com
It’s no surprise
that the makers of a renowned hot sauce would know how to throw together a
legendary Bloody Mary.
Ingredients: “1 quart tomato juice, 1 cup vodka, 1
tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, ½ teaspoon Original
TABASCO® brand Pepper Sauce, lime slices or celery stalks.”
Preparation:
“Combine tomato juice, vodka, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, and TABASCO® Sauce in a 2-quart pitcher; stir
well. Serve over ice. Garnish with lime or celery.”
Yield:
“Makes 6 (6-ounce) servings.”
Spicy Bloody Mary adapted
from Epicurious.com
Some like it hot.
Chances are, they’re the ones most likely to go for the glory with this mouth
scorcher of a mix.
Ingredients:
½ cup Mr. & Mrs. T’s Bold and Spicy Bloody Mary mix, 2 tsp Worcestershire
sauce, 1 tsp horseradish freshly ground, 1 tsp garlic freshly pressed or
chopped, ½ tsp crushed black peppercorns, ½ tsp TABASCO, ½ tsp sea salt, ½ tsp balsamic
vinegar, ¼ tsp celery salt, vodka of your choice.
Preparation:
Stir continually to keep garlic and pepper from settling to the
bottom. Don’t forget the garnish.
Yield:
1 drink
Wasabi Bloody Mary adapted
from RealWasabi.com
For readers with a taste
for Japanese flavor and an iron tongue to boot.
Ingredients: 32 ounces V-8 tomato juice or the
equivalent, 4 to 6 shots Absolut Citron, 1 juiced lemon, 1 tablespoon
Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 tablespoons freshly grated
wasabi, 6 shakes of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, pinch [of] celery salt, freshly
ground black pepper, ice, lemon wedges.
Preparation: “In a shaker, add tomato juice, vodka,
lemon juice, Worcestershire, soy, [wasabi], hot pepper sauce, celery salt and
black pepper with a few cubes of ice and shake vigorously. Check for seasoning.
Serve in tall glasses filled with ice!”
Yield: “Serves 4-6.”
The Perfect Bloody Mary Recipe adapted
from FoodNetwork.com
Robert Redd only
ever used the word “perfect” as a verb, but with this mixture’s flourishes of
red wine and sherry, we’re inclined to believe that even he would have placed
it close to ideal.
Ingredients: 2 ounces vodka, dash red wine, dash dry
sherry, pinch celery salt, salt and pepper, 7 drops Worcestershire sauce, 5
drops hot sauce, 1 (6-ounce) container tomato juice, celery stalks, cherry
tomatoes.
Preparation: “Combine all of the ingredients in a
highball glass containing ice, stir well, and serve with a celery stick and
cherry tomato.”
Yield: 1 drink
