If there’s one thing I hate about living in the Pacific Northwest, it’s the stretch of time from late October until late June, when the sun makes only the most occasional of appearances. I typically pack on an extra 10-15 pounds during those rainy months, party due to over-consumption of wintertime drinks like dark beer, egg nog, hot-buttered-anything and wassail. I wanted a drink for the winter that I could add to my cocktail menu that was more like the light, café-style cocktails I typically gravitate to during the summer.
Jerry Thomas prescribed a drink called “sangaree” that, to the best of our knowledge was a colonial adaptation of the Spanish “sangria”. The recipe, which calls for anywhere from 1½ to 4 ounces of port, Madeira, gin or brandy dolled up with sugar and dusted with nutmeg in a glass sounded less than exciting to me, but the challenge of updating this old chestnut sounded like a fun January task.
We began with ruby and tawny ports but found both way too sweet. White port got us much closer to our target, but it wasn’t until a healthy dose of dry vermouth was applied that we knew we were on to something. To provide additional depth and hint at the drink’s colonial origins we sweetened with a maple-nutmeg syrup and finished the whole thing off with a teaspoon of allspice liqueur and orange oil.
The Dry Vermouth Sangaree
3 oz dry vermouth
½ oz maple-nutmeg syrup*
1 tsp St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
1 large strip orange peel
Shake everything – yes, even the orange peel – with ice until well-chilled and strain into a cold cocktail glass. Garnish with a fresh strip of orange peel.
*To make maple-nutmeg syrup, combine 8 ounces each of Grade B maple syrup and water, and 1 tbsp freshly-grated nutmeg. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Let cool, strain out solids, bottle and chill.
My problem with homemade tonic water has always been a flavor profile that was too esoteric for the general audience. This recipe takes some of the positive qualities people have come to understand from commercial tonic water and updated them with fresh ingredients.
One question I'm often asked is "Do you have any drink-related book recommendations?" Well, funny you should ask, I've compiled a list of the ten books every professional bartender or home mixologist should own. I keep every one of these close at hand and have read most of them several times. I suggest you do the same.
The problem with living in Oregon is the absence of little wooden shacks by the sea that sell cases of fresh ginger beer stacked on back porches. But with some readily-available ingredients, a recipe I've been revising for several years - and a few free minutes - I can easily transport myself to a little fishing boat on the ocean as I sip a Dark and Stormy made with fresh, house-made ginger beer.
It's always mojito season somewhere, so this advice is timely in your area about half the year. Wether you're making them or simply enjoying them, this advice will help you look like a pro in no time at all.
The flavors of the Richmond Gimlet are imbued with sunshine. Fresh mint mingling with the herbaceousness of gin and the tartness of lime have made this drink a Eugene classic for many years now.
You'll get a lot of snarky advice on this site about how to make a proper drink, but if you ever need to know what not to do, this is the video for you.
Not to be confused with the Spanish wine-and-fruit-based alcoholic beverage sangria, sangrita (meaning "little blood") is a traditional accompaniment to a tequila served completo; a non-alcoholic sipper that cleanses the palate between fiery doses of agave.
The world of booze can be mystifying to people that don't work in bars or around alcohol all the time. I hear a lot of assumptions about the industry I'm in that are - much like 90% of what you hear in bars - completely false. Here are a few you've probably heard yourself.
The debate rages on: Should we try to look cool and crack open the Boston shaker or be tidy professionals and use the Hawthorne strainer the way God intended? Be sure to leave your two cents in the comments section.
The traditional garnish for a Pisco Sour is a couple of drops of bitters in the foam, but I've never been particularly impressed with the way these few paltry drops of bitters sat in their little egg-white mattress and didn't play along with the rest of the drink. I envisioned a Pisco Sour with a uniformly-distributed bitters-scorched foam: slightly crisp as the fire burnt the sugars, and slightly warm as the foam insulated the rest of the frosty cocktail from the heat. A pisco creme brulée in a glass!
I get so many visitors looking for tips on how to write a bartending resume that I thought I should finally post a tutorial on how to write your own. Click the headline to read more.
I always love showing up to a party with a gallon jug of pre-mixed margaritas, so I've decided to share my recipe. This margarita recipe is the perfect blend of strong, sweet, and sour. But be warned: this recipe packs a serious punch.
There isn't much I can say about this video that hasn't been said already. If you've read anything I've written about cocktails, you'll understand why this video symbolizes everything wrong with the state of bartending in America today. Watch and learn, but be warned: this one isn't for the feint of heart.
About Me
My name is Jeff Morgenthaler and I'm the head bartender at Clyde Common in Portland, Oregon.
I've been tending bar since 1996 and writing about it since 2004. Mixing drinks has become something of a passion for me in recent years, and I strive to elevate the experience of having a drink from something mundane to something more culinary.
The writing I do here is intended as a work in progress. My recipes are like my opinions: they are constantly being revised and refined as I work them through my mind and my fingers. Comments and participation are encouraged, so please don't feel the need to tread lightly here.
It’s football time here in the university town I call home, so on Saturday mornings my kitchen often becomes the epicenter of pre-game madness. I like to put out a bottle of vodka, a pitcher of my Bloody Mary mix, and a tray of fun garnishes for the fans and let people put together their own drinks.
Now, I understand the benefits of juicing your own tomatoes for the ultimate do-it-yourself Bloody Mary. However, I’ve got to point out that in the middle of winter here in the Pacific Northwest, canned tomato juice tastes a hell of a lot better than the mealy specimens my local grocery store is peddling for $3.99 a pound. So here’s a beefed-up Bloody Mary mix you can make any time, with ingredients you can find just about anywhere.
1 46-oz can tomato juice
1 garlic clove, minced
½ small avocado
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
1½ oz lemon juice
1½ tbsp steak sauce
2 tsp cracked pepper
1½ tsp celery salt
1½ tsp hot sauce
1 tsp horseradish
Purée garlic, avocado, and eight ounces of the tomato juice in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add to remaining ingredients in a large pitcher and stir until combined.
As an aside, I’ve found that this recipe works best when it’s allowed to sit overnight to let the flavors combine. So if you have the time, try to make it the night before.
To make a Bloody Mary, fill a 16-ounce glass to the rim with ice and add two ounces (¼ cup) of your favorite vodka. Salting the rim of the glass is optional, but I like to pre-salt a few glasses and set them out. Top with Bloody Mary mix and garnish as you like. Here are some suggestions for your garnish tray:
Celery stalks
Stuffed olives
French cornichons
Pickled white asparagus
Lemon and lime wedges
Pearl onions
Pickled green beans
Cherry tomatoes
Pickled garlic cloves
Pickled pepperoncini peppers
Cooked, peeled shrimp
And for a wonderful treatise on making a single Bloody Mary the right way, check out this video my peeps over at the Small Screen Network have put together.
I highly recommend making your own tomato juice year-round with canned tomatoes, if you can’t get your hands on good fresh ones. I promise it’s better than canned by a wide enough margin that you won’t mind the effort.
I stole the steak sauce and the avocado from a good friend here in town, Ric Lee, who has been making the best Bloody Marys in Oregon for a long, long time.
He wouldn’t give me his recipe, so I had to try to reverse-engineer it here.
And Anita, you’re right. The Muir Glen tomatoes, when pureéd, taste wonderfully tomato-y in a Bloody Mary.
However, for those of you making Bloody Marys in a pinch, I stand by my original recipe.
I’m making a gallon (probably two) of your bloody mary mix to take to the Skins game this Sunday. Will it taste as delicious if I add the vodka to the mix the night before, or at least the morning of the game so it’s all in one container for easier transportation?
Mixing the vodka in with everything else the night before didn’t seem to bother the BM’s at all. It definitely made transport to the field much easier.
Thanks for the recipe. Going to mix up a batch right now!
30 Jan 2008 at 11:24 pm 16. Brendon
Hmm.. That does sound like it could be good, but generally speaking, I don’t like my bloody marys to taste like a prime rib. Isnt the focus of the Bloody Mary supposed to be on the tomatoe?
This is definitely not the classic Bloody Mary recipe, Brendon, but rather one of the billion variations out there.
But if you’re gearing up for Super Bowl Sunday this weekend, a little prime rib might be just what the doctor ordered.
19 Aug 2008 at 11:29 am 18. aaron hedrick
great site-it’s on my favorites now.
21 Dec 2008 at 9:12 am 19. dbs
I won’t lie- I make a mean bloody mary (ask flowers) ;)
but this looks stellar, I will have to try it for sure!
26 Dec 2008 at 10:44 pm 20. BethAnne
My favorite health drink — it’s almost a salad in a glass!
19 May 2009 at 12:03 pm 21. Christie
Is it ok to make this about 2-3 days before you are going to drink it?
14 Jul 2009 at 11:26 pm 22. mike
Bringing your mix to the North West String Summit in North Plains this weekend. Looks great, I’ll let ya know the results.
09 Aug 2009 at 7:50 pm 23. Christine
First – recipe rocks! (Best served on a race boat before you head out of the harbor, with ‘Crazy Train’ playing, garnished with a marinated string bean)
But I digress…
The pitcher: I bet it has a ‘Corning’ or ‘heat proof glass’ mark on it somewhere. It’s a coffee carafe (vintage) – put ‘coffee carafe warmer’ into ebay, you should find several similar pieces with the silver warming base. Gorgeous!
10 Sep 2009 at 10:38 pm 24. Dina
Jeff- by far THE BEST Bloody Mary recipe EVER! Took a double batch up to Tahoe for girls’ weekend thinking they’d last Saturday and Sunday… not a chance. 5 of us polished these off in no time…
YOU ARE MAGNIFICENT AND SO ARE YOUR BMs (I know… I know… couldn’t resist! Sorry)
Jeff,
I was looking for a recipe that was out of the ordinary and when I saw avocado and steak sauce I thought YES!!! I don’t like horseradish so I omitted that but other than that I made a double batch and took it camping and everyone was in awe of how AWESOME it tasted. I also like a “salad” in my bloody so I put Celery, Pickled Asparagus, Green Olives, Twist of lime, and a Pepperoncini pepper…DELICIOUS!!
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26 Sep 2007 at 10:09 am 1. anita
I highly recommend making your own tomato juice year-round with canned tomatoes, if you can’t get your hands on good fresh ones. I promise it’s better than canned by a wide enough margin that you won’t mind the effort.
Method described here:
http://marriedwithdinner.com/2006/12/29/dotw-bloody-mary/
26 Sep 2007 at 10:30 am 2. Jeffrey
Anita, did I forget to mention that I’m also lazy?
Okay, I’ll try it this weekend and report back, I promise.
30 Sep 2007 at 11:32 pm 3. Cheryl Charming
I love that beautiful pitcher you are using! This is also the first time I’ve seen someone else use steak sauce besides me. I like to use A-1.
Cheryl
01 Oct 2007 at 10:27 pm 4. Jeffrey
Thanks, Cheryl!
I stole the steak sauce and the avocado from a good friend here in town, Ric Lee, who has been making the best Bloody Marys in Oregon for a long, long time.
He wouldn’t give me his recipe, so I had to try to reverse-engineer it here.
And Anita, you’re right. The Muir Glen tomatoes, when pureéd, taste wonderfully tomato-y in a Bloody Mary.
However, for those of you making Bloody Marys in a pinch, I stand by my original recipe.
03 Oct 2007 at 12:37 pm 5. Diana
I’m making a gallon (probably two) of your bloody mary mix to take to the Skins game this Sunday. Will it taste as delicious if I add the vodka to the mix the night before, or at least the morning of the game so it’s all in one container for easier transportation?
03 Oct 2007 at 1:14 pm 6. Jeffrey
Diana
I don’t see why it would hurt, so try it and give us a full report on Monday, will ya?
Jeff
03 Oct 2007 at 1:15 pm 7. Diana
Wow, you’re fast.
I shall.
07 Oct 2007 at 7:51 pm 8. Scott
Where can I get that wonderful pitcher in your picture?
08 Oct 2007 at 2:40 pm 9. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Hey Scott
I’ve gotten a lot of comments about that pitcher, but I don’t know what to tell you. I think it belonged to my girlfriend’s grandmother.
09 Oct 2007 at 7:06 am 10. Diana
Mixing the vodka in with everything else the night before didn’t seem to bother the BM’s at all. It definitely made transport to the field much easier.
09 Oct 2007 at 10:37 am 11. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Thanks, Diana!
But let’s call them something other than “BMs”, can’t we?
10 Oct 2007 at 1:39 pm 12. Steph
We made yuor bloody mary mix last weekend and it was a huge hit! Thanks for a wonderful website.
21 Oct 2007 at 10:10 am 13. Anne
What would be the amount of vodka to add to the recipe to make Bloody Marys in quantity, similar to your superb “margaritas by the gallon” recipe?
22 Oct 2007 at 5:31 pm 14. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Anne
I think one full fifth of vodka would work well with these quantities.
But try it yourself and let me know!
Jeff
16 Jan 2008 at 4:42 pm 15. kara
Thanks for the recipe. Going to mix up a batch right now!
30 Jan 2008 at 11:24 pm 16. Brendon
Hmm.. That does sound like it could be good, but generally speaking, I don’t like my bloody marys to taste like a prime rib. Isnt the focus of the Bloody Mary supposed to be on the tomatoe?
31 Jan 2008 at 10:56 am 17. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
This is definitely not the classic Bloody Mary recipe, Brendon, but rather one of the billion variations out there.
But if you’re gearing up for Super Bowl Sunday this weekend, a little prime rib might be just what the doctor ordered.
19 Aug 2008 at 11:29 am 18. aaron hedrick
great site-it’s on my favorites now.
21 Dec 2008 at 9:12 am 19. dbs
I won’t lie- I make a mean bloody mary (ask flowers) ;)
but this looks stellar, I will have to try it for sure!
26 Dec 2008 at 10:44 pm 20. BethAnne
My favorite health drink — it’s almost a salad in a glass!
19 May 2009 at 12:03 pm 21. Christie
Is it ok to make this about 2-3 days before you are going to drink it?
14 Jul 2009 at 11:26 pm 22. mike
Bringing your mix to the North West String Summit in North Plains this weekend. Looks great, I’ll let ya know the results.
09 Aug 2009 at 7:50 pm 23. Christine
First – recipe rocks! (Best served on a race boat before you head out of the harbor, with ‘Crazy Train’ playing, garnished with a marinated string bean)
But I digress…
The pitcher: I bet it has a ‘Corning’ or ‘heat proof glass’ mark on it somewhere. It’s a coffee carafe (vintage) – put ‘coffee carafe warmer’ into ebay, you should find several similar pieces with the silver warming base. Gorgeous!
10 Sep 2009 at 10:38 pm 24. Dina
Jeff- by far THE BEST Bloody Mary recipe EVER! Took a double batch up to Tahoe for girls’ weekend thinking they’d last Saturday and Sunday… not a chance. 5 of us polished these off in no time…
YOU ARE MAGNIFICENT AND SO ARE YOUR BMs (I know… I know… couldn’t resist! Sorry)
08 Dec 2009 at 1:16 am 25. Rachel
Jeff,
I was looking for a recipe that was out of the ordinary and when I saw avocado and steak sauce I thought YES!!! I don’t like horseradish so I omitted that but other than that I made a double batch and took it camping and everyone was in awe of how AWESOME it tasted. I also like a “salad” in my bloody so I put Celery, Pickled Asparagus, Green Olives, Twist of lime, and a Pepperoncini pepper…DELICIOUS!!