Pity the Bloody Mary. You're not the one we party with; you just get stuck making us feel better about our debauchery the next morning.
Like most cocktails, the Bloody Mary's origins are murky. The most dominant myth has it being invented in Harry's New York Bar in Paris back in the early '20s. Touted as "the world's most complex cocktail," it has in recent years devolved into a prefab mishmash of Bloody Mary mix, cheap vodka and, if you're lucky, real Worcestershire and Tabasco sauces, garnished with an olive and a flaccid celery stalk.
Thankfully, this once-tired tipple is undergoing a major makeover these days. The boring boozy salad we all grew up with is being reengineered and re-imagined in bars and restaurants all over the place.
Around the country — and yes, even in Tampa Bay — restaurants are sporting high-end Bloody Mary buffet tables, where all manner of exotic and unusual ingredients are used to concoct some pretty tasty drinks.
Oh, and by exotic ingredients, I'm talking aquavit, tequila, whiskey, rosemary-infused vodka, wasabi, pickled white turnips and eggs, beef jerky swizzles, anchovies … in other words, pretty cheeky stuff.
Now I'm all for innovation. But I gotta admit I'm less thrilled with the trend of restaurants and bars laying out umpteen ingredients so patrons can mix their own Bloody Marys. This reminds me of that equally strange fad involving paying someone to use their restaurant-quality kitchen so you can make a bunch of meals you then take home and stick in your fridge to be reheated later.
Sorry, but if I want to make my own drink, I'll stay home.
That said, among the best places to be served a very fine Bloody Mary is Restaurant BT in South Tampa.
Dubbed the Bloody Geisha, their version of this classic cocktail shares the restaurant's emphasis on French-Vietnamese tastes and fresh-from-the-garden ingredients.
"So many (bars and restaurants) just dump some (Bloody Mary) mix with some vodka," laments proprietor and chef BT Nguyen. "We want to take the Bloody Mary to the next level."
Chock full of fresh herbs and vegetables, the Bloody Geisha swaps vodka for sake, making for a much more subtle, lower octane drink that's delicious and refreshing. Like a garden in a glass.
BT offers the choice of plain as well as several house-infused sakes, including horseradish, garlic, chili pepper and rosemary. For those who like their Geisha spicier, she'll add a dash of sriracha sauce or even a few fresh chili peppers.
"(The Bloody Geisha) is actually good for you," BT says with a laugh. "Imagine that: a cocktail that's good for you."
After drinking a couple recently, I'm only surprised I didn't hear about her version earlier.
Restaurant BT: 2507 S. MacDill Ave., Tampa, 813-831-9254, restaurantbt.com.
Bloody Geisha
Makes one cocktail
Ingredients:
2 1/2 ounces sake
4 plum tomatoes, peeled
1 sprig of cilantro
3 to 5 peppermint leaves
3 Thai basil leaves
1 ounce galanga (related to ginger, but more piney and citrusy)
1 ounce ginger
1 clove of garlic
1 ounce lemon juice
1 ounce lime juice
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of sugar
Pinch of freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon of soy sauce
Directions:
In blender, combine all ingredients (all ingredients are fresh; juices should be freshly squeezed). For a drink with more texture (chunky style), blend lightly; for smoother texture, blend more thoroughly. Pour into ice cube-filled tall glass (Collins) and garnish. BT's are festooned with a green bean, small carrot, celery stalk, basil, cucumber slices and sprig of rosemary.
This article appears in Jul 28 – Aug 3, 2011.