Ah brunch, the ritual of the city dweller. Brunches across America have captured my love and attention, from greasy spoons to Brooklyn bistros to my own home kitchen. And no matter how innovative a brunch, it never strays too far from what makes brunch one of the best meals of the day: eggs, cheese, bacon, booze... If I could rhapsodize on brunch for an entire post, I would (and I may in the future), but there is a very important recipe I want to share with you, my gentle booze-loving readers. It came to light a few weekends ago, at one of my favorite DC restaurants, the Blue Duck Tavern.
I could go on, and on about why this place is wonderful but instead, just read my Yelp review. This time, I enjoyed a delicious version of scrambled eggs with salmon and creme fraiche, spooned onto a delicious shredded potato cake, but the real highlight of the meal was the Inside Out Bloody Mary.
My interest was piqued by such a title. Inside Out!? I didn't even have a guess as to what that meant. As it turns out, it is basically a spicy martini poured over bloody mary CUBES! The cubes melt into the drink as you drink the liquid, thereby preventing watered down drinks. What a fantastic idea, I thought...so I copied it. And here it is. Luckily our waiter recited the ingredients twice, because we could not understand his incredibly thick accent.
Inside Out Bloody Mary
A few bloody Mary cubes (however many fit into your glass, 2-3)
3 oz good quality vodka (Grey Goose, Stoli, etc)
Splash of lemon
Splash of lime
Dash of hot sauce (I used Louisiana Kitchen)
Spicy Dill Bean (you can buy them in a jar, but my Mom's taste better)
So, let me just get this off my chest...I used Mr. and Mrs. T's Bold and Spicy Bloody Mary Mix. I have had it before, and really, it's very good. If you don't want to use a mix, mix up some tomato juice, prepared horseradish, black pepper, celery salt, worcestershire sauce, etc. Whatever floats your boat.
I procured some perfectly square ice cube trays, which I think is extremely important in the presentation of this cocktail. Looking cool is half the fun on this one, guys. I bought mine at this awesome store in DC called Home Rule. Don't go in there unless you like being broke.
Ok, I need to focus here. So freeze the cubes, it will take several hours from them to become really frozen. Once they're done, run a lime slice around the rim of a cocktail glass (martini or otherwise) and rim with Tony Cachere's Cajun Seasoning (the best!). Throw in the cubes.
Add vodka, splash lime, splash lemon and dash of hot sauce into a shaker filled with ice cubes (made of water). Shake what yo' mama gave you until the shaker has a fine layer of ice coating it and strain over the Mary cubes.
Add pickled bean for a delicious garnish.
May you all enjoy a fancy brunch, no matter where you may consume it.
