Swap the vodka for reposado and the brunch classic picks up earthy agave, a little oak, and a lot more personality. Four drinks, one shake.
Vodka has one job in a Bloody Mary. It adds the booze and stays out of the way, so every bit of flavor comes from the mix.
Tequila has more to say. Agave brings an earthy, peppery edge that's right at home next to tomato and chili, and a reposado, rested in oak for a few months, adds a little vanilla and caramel to round it out. Swap one for the other and you've got a Bloody Maria, the same brunch staple with a lot more going on.
It's not much of a stretch, either. In Jalisco, tequila is often sipped next to sangrita, a spicy chaser of citrus and chili, so it's been keeping company with these flavors for a long time.
For this episode of The Friday Fill, High Camp's own Megan is back in the kitchen, batching four Bloody Marias at once in the Highball Shaker. Our Hot Pepper Bitters bring the heat, and a rim of agave nectar and coarse sea salt ties it all together.
It's three ingredients and one good shake, so you can hand out a full round and get back to the table.
Make it for Saturday brunch, Sunday football, or any slow morning when nobody's in a hurry to leave.
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The Friday Fill, Ep. 14
The Bloody Maria
Savory, spicy, and batched for brunch. Makes four.
In the shaker
Plus a few scoops of ice for shaking.
For the rim
On each glass
How to make it
Pouring for six? Use 18 oz of Bloody Mary mix, 6 oz of reposado, and 18 dashes of bitters. It still fits in one shaker.
High Camp Tip: Rim With Agave
Lime juice is the usual glue for a salt rim, but it's thin, and the salt slides off by the second sip. Agave nectar is thick and sticky, so coarse salt stays put for the whole drink. The touch of sweetness also takes the edge off the heat from the bitters.
Sticky agave plus coarse salt makes a rim that lasts as long as the drink.
What Megan Mixed With
The Highball Shaker
One shake, four drinks, and nobody stuck making them one at a time. Here's why Megan reached for the Highball Shaker:
- Room for the whole round. It's a 1-liter shaker that holds about 750ml of liquid plus ice, so four Bloody Marias fit with space to spare.
- Measuring built in. The XL UpScale Jigger marks pours from 3/4 oz to 4 oz. Twelve ounces of mix is three easy fills.
- Built-in strainer. Pour straight from the shaker into the cup while the ice stays behind.
- Double-wall insulated. The cold stays inside the shaker and off your hands.
High Camp Hot Pepper Bitters
The heat in this batch comes from our own Hot Pepper Bitters, a blend of six peppers with notes of smoked chili, ginger, citrus peel, and black pepper. Start with 12 dashes and add more if you like it hotter. Once the bottle's open, try a few dashes in a spicy margarita too.
The Agave Flask
Megan poured her reposado from the Agave Flask, our first flask built around a single spirit. It carries a full 750ml bottle of tequila or mezcal in vacuum-insulated steel, with two 10.5 oz tumblers that lock on with magnets. It holds a batched cocktail just as well, so you can shake this batch at home, strain it into the flask, and pour Bloody Marias at the tailgate.
Pouring for four? The Agave Lover's Bundle adds a second pair of tumblers, so there's a cup for every drink in this batch, and saves 15%.
Brunch Is Served
Brunch is better when the host gets to sit down too. Shake up a round, pass the snack skewers, and let the morning run long. Cheers!
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