TDC CALENDAR: JANUARY 2021
INSPIRATION
2020 has been a rough ride, and nothing cures a year-long hangover like a Bloody Mary! We wanted to pay proper homage to the classic, and also our team, with our ultimate Bloody Good Maria – because anyone who knows us will know we’re total tequila fiends.
THE DRINK: BLOODY GOOD MARIA 🍅
A take on the classic Bloody Mary but using tequila instead of vodka.
Blanco (unaged) tequila adds a delicious agave flavour to the well-known combo of tomato juice, lemon juice, Lea & Perrins, Tobasco, salt and pepper. Basil adds a sweet herbal flavour that works deliciously with Blanco Tequila. How all Sunday morning bar shifts used to start!
THE SPEC
50ml Blanco Tequila
150ml tomato juice (the best quality you can find)
10m freshly squeezed lemon juice
15ml Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce (it sounds like a lot, but this is the secret to a great Bloody Mary!)
4-10 dashes Tobasco (to your preference) – experiment with different hot sauces to totally change the flavour profile of the drink
3 basil leaves
Pinch of sea salt
Cracked black pepper
Glass: Rocks
Ice: We prefer our Bloody Mary’s served super cold in a chilled glass, without ice so that the flavours stay punchy and undiluted.
Garnish: paprika and sea salt rim, cucumber and basil. Bacon or oysters optional!
THE METHOD
Rim a rocks glass from the freezer with paprika and sea salt mixture.
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and roll between the two tins with ice.
Strain into glass and garnish with cucumber and basil.
Bloody Marys can be a very personal affair, and we love experimenting with new flavour profiles, juices, spices, and herbs. The sky is really the limit with this one and an extravagant garnish game is often encouraged…
HOW WE SHOT IT 📸
The humble Bloody Mary (Maria / Ceasar / whichever variation takes your fancy) is really anything but simple. To showcase the unique balance of elements that go into everybody’s favourite brunch bevvy, we decided to shoot in a flat-lay style. Using soft diffused lighting, sharp aperture and soft shadows, we made sure that each ingredient was evenly lit and sharp in focus, conveying the equal importance of every element.
Each ingredient is given space to shine, and every piece of the puzzle fits cleanly and neatly together to form the whole – just like in the drink itself.
THE RESULT
HOW WE LIKE IT
Bea swears that Hillary at The French House in Soho makes the best Bloody Mary around.
For Claire, the best Bloody Mary ever was served the morning after a whisky-soaked Islay night before, and created by Barry Symonds, who now manages Poco in Bristol. Funnily enough, Lauren’s favourite Bloody Mary memory also feature’s Barry’s handy work – albeit from a much earlier time, when he was a formative figure in Glasgow’s Finniestion bar scene.