We found three great bloody mary mixes and seasonings we think deserve a spot in your New Year’s festivities as well as your brunches in the new year.
Bloody mary mix from Seaside Grown
On St. Helena Island, the family of Gus Sanders carries on the tradition he began more than 100 years ago when he established a commercial tomato farm on this South Carolina sea island. They’re still growing and selling tomatoes, but they also sell a variety of tomato-based products, including salsas, jams and cocktail sauce. We tried their Gus’ Spicy Bloody Mary Mix and, yes, it definitely is the spiciest one on our list. That’s because it’s got horseradish and Carolina reaper peppers in the ingredient mix, along with fun ingredients like pickle brine and anchovy paste. The flavor is deep and interesting. If you, or your guests, are a fan of heat, this is the one for you. And you always can cut it with a little tomato juice if you have a mix of guests with varying levels of heat tolerance. Or, better yet, try their original flavor, just as delicious, but with way less heat.
$6.50 per 8-ounce bottle, $10-$12 per 32-ounce bottle. Available at Savi Urban Market, Buckhead's Best Wine & Spirits, Beverage Superstore II in Suwanee, Ace Beer Growlers in Newnan, Tuxedo Wine & Spirits, Red Barn Package Store in Cumming, Floral Park Market and at seasidegrown.com.
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Bloody mary ‘potion’ from Whodini Sisters
Whodini Sisters, out of Seaside, Florida, created this cocktail seasoning they call a “potion” in 2013. To create a bloody mary, you add it to tomato juice and vodka (they recommend one part potion to four parts tomato juice and two parts vodka). Or, use it with tomato juice and beer for a michelada. But, it’s delicious mixed with tomato juice and no alcohol at all, and it even works as a marinade. That’s because it’s made with citrus juice, Worcestershire sauce, olive brine, hot sauce and other seasonings. It’s great for marinating pork for the grill, or adding to beef for your favorite burgers. We found ourselves dreaming up lots of ways to enjoy it, and liked that you could add as much or as little as you like to your tomato juice to find a balance that suits every taste.
$12.99-$14.99 per 12-ounce bottle. Available at Savi Provisions on Roswell Road, Huff Harrington and Sloan Home. whodinisisters.com.
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Bloody mary mix from Food for the Southern Soul
Jimmy Hagood of Charleston, South Carolina, loves to spin a tale and lives to share his love of Southern food with the rest of us through his line of Food for the Southern Soul. The bottles of his Mr. Jimmie’s Pick-Me-Up bloody mary mixes (there are two: fire-roasted, available all year round, and yellow tomato, only available seasonally) carry the story of his grandfather, an accomplished conversationalist who apparently fueled his brunches with bloody marys. The fire-roasted flavor is rich with not only roasted tomatoes but also fun ingredients like clam juice, a bit of horseradish, and a sprinkling of the company’s peach hot sauce and rib rub seasoning. We’re pretty sure we taste cumin in there. The yellow tomato version, not available until summer, really does taste like fresh summer tomatoes, with just a bit of vinegary tang. We liked both straight out of the bottle. No vodka required!
$10.95 per 32-ounce bottle. Flat rate shipping is $9.95 and free for orders over $75. Available at foodforthesouthernsoul.com.
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