
Homemade Bloody Mary Mix is a quick and easy recipe!
It makes the perfect weekend drink and you can adjust the spiciness to your taste
Making Homemade Bloody Mary Mix:
Every great Bloody Mary starts with a perfect Bloody Mary Mix!
I bought a store made mix for years so when I made it at home the first time I was surprised how easy and economical it was to put together. Now, I always make my own and you can too!
Bloody Mary’s always remind me of girls’ weekends, lazy beach days and fun brunches. The trend right now is to add lots of fun garnishes to your bloody. This includes everything from bacon, shrimp, pickled beans and baby cheeseburgers!
It’s so much fun to build a “Bloody Mary Bar” for parties because the choices are endless and everyone can add their favorite garnish.
After experimenting with many different versions I came up with an easy mix. You can use this as a base and add or subtract as much spice as you would like.
How do you make Bloody Mary Mix from scratch?
- Tomato Paste:
I use tomato paste instead of tomato juice as the base because it gives the mix a richer flavor. I like the ability to add water to the paste and make it as thick or loose as I want. For every 6-ounce can of tomato paste, add about 3.5 cups of water to create the base for the mix. I whirl mine in a blender but you can easily whisk it or shake everything in a container.
- The Spices:
This is where the fun really begins because you can tailor to your own taste. My recipe is pretty classic so use these “must-have” ingredients as your guide and finesse it from there.
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Minced fresh garlic or garlic powder
- Hot sauce: I like Tabasco or Cholula Hot Sauce
- Celery Salt
- Onion powder
- Lemon juice
- Horseradish
- Salt and pepper
Instructions for making Bloody Mary’s
Once the mix is made the rest is easy!
- Shake some celery salt onto a shallow plate. Rub lemon, lime or water around the rim of your glasses and then dip into the celery salt. Add some crushed ice to the glasses.
- For each drink, combine, in a cocktail shaker, 8-ounces mix with 2-ounces vodka and some crushed ice. Shake well and strain into the prepared glasses. Add any garnishes.
Garnishes for delicious Bloody Mary’s
Here are some fun garnish ideas to try, with and without a toothpick, to hold them in place:
- Celery stalk
- Cooked piece of bacon
- A grilled or poached large piece of shrimp
- Jumbo olives stuffed with blue cheese or pimento
- Lime or lemon wedge
- Dill pickle spear
- Pickled onion or green bean
- Cornichon
- Mini-Burger
How long does bloody mary mix last in the refrigerator?
You can store the mix in the refrigerator for about 2-3 weeks. Keep it tightly sealed and shake occasionally as seasonings will settle to the bottom.
Have you tried Bloody Mary Shooters with Shrimp or Oysters?
Make these fun Bloody Mary Shooter appetizers with this recipe. You just need shot glasses and a few garnishes. Great for any party!
Looking for some brunch recipes?
- Crustless Quiche Egg Bites
- Buttermilk Pancakes
- Cinnamon Coffee Cake with Apples
- Baked Churro Donuts
- Cinnamon Baked Pears
Homemade Bloody Mary Mix Recipe
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
Bloody Mary Mix
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 3½ cups water
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Tbsp chopped garlic, about 2 cloves, or 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp hot sauce, such as Tabasco or Cholula, or to taste
- 1½ tsp celery salt
- 1½ tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp horseradish, or to taste
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ⅓ tsp salt
Bloody Mary Drink Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp celery salt, for the rim of the glass
- 8 oz Bloody Mary Mix
- 2 oz vodka, or to taste
- Garnishes
Instructions
- Combine all Bloody Mary Mix ingredients in a blender and blend for about 30 seconds.
Allyson Rotramel
I have a question – how long will this last in the frige and can it be frozen???
Cyndy
Hi – great question! I usually suggest refrigeration for about 7 days. I haven’t tried freezing it but I think it would definitely work. Just make sure to shake well once it is thawed out. Thanks for stopping by!
John
Love this for a basic starter mix and the additional ideas. Will try the paste once tomatoes season ends. We grow a lot of tomatoes and different varieties of sweet and hot peppers. We always use Sacramento Tomato Juice and supplement the base with vine ripened tomatoes deskinned and seeded. Multiple combinations of sweet and hot peppers depending on the guests. Being from MD our one gotta have addition is Old Bay Seasoning. For special occasions, usually the day after a crabbing trip, we “backfin” multiple blue crabs and serve the bloody marys with a Jumbo lump backfin with the swimmer fin attached, Jumbo Shrimp, Premium Smoked Bacon, and a chunk of fillet either beef or deer. I can’t tell u how many times people initially decline a bloody mary when offered saying they never liked them. I leave it at that,
or maybe a small chuckle.. Once they see one and try it they are life long converts. Oh yeah, I only serve Bloody Mary’s with one Vodka. Absolute Peppar. It truly makes a big difference. Just discovered your blog and love it. Thanks John
Cyndy
Love this story John – and now we are starving for MD crabs! We never understand why people aren’t wild for Bloody’s either and do our best to change their minds! Glad you stopped by!
Laura Beaver
Delicious 😋
Cyndy
Thanks Laura ~ so glad you enjoyed it!
Jan
Can this recipe be pressure canned?
Cyndy
Hi Jan – I haven’t tried it so can’t say for sure but it definitely seems like it would work. Let us know if you try it!
Kelly
Just made for NYD brunch. Added a hefty pinch of sugar to cut the bite of the tomato paste. Really, really yummy on its own. Haven’t tried it with vodka yet. I think it will be good wake up juice tho!
Jayne
Awesome – I drink it in the morning w/o vodka too!
Sara Rockwell
Delicious! First time making homemade Bloody Mary mix… will be saving this recipe and making again!
Jayne
Awesome – glad you liked it! Thanks for stopping by!
Julia B
Made it today. Used Tequila for Bloody Marias. OUTSTANDING!!! I tried it without and with the blender at the end…preferred the whisk to the blender, as I liked the little bits of garlic- unblended. Thank you for this recipe! The tomato paste really makes it richer in flavor!
Jayne
I love that you used a whisk – I admit I also do that from time to time because – GARLIC! I also love the idea of Bloody Maria’s. Thanks for sharing your ideas. Cyndy
Kristi Kaiser
Tried this today, and it was absolutely fantastic! Great recipe – had all the ingredients and the flavor was superb! Thank you!
Jayne
Thanks Kristi – we’re glad you loved it!
Biana
What a great recipe! Making this for next brunch!
Julie
So many reasons to make this cocktail now! If not only for its appearance!
Anita
Hubby is in love. He’s allergic to alcohol, so he just drink the mix as is and treat it as soup. 🙂
Jayne
I drink it alcohol-free sometimes too!
Andrea Metlika
Makes me want brunch right now. Love this so much!
Phenie Ooi
I love how simple this is to make. Hubby really liked this. Will bookmark this recipe for sure!
Katie
This will be perfect for parties!
Irina
My mouth is watering looking at your pictures. I love the way you serve Bloody Mary… appetizing and intriguing!
Whitney
I love the spice ingredients you used and can’t wait to try it. I usually fill mine with green olives too! It’s basically brunch in a glass.
Jayne
Whitney, we agree! Bloody Marys are brunch in a glass!
Alexandra
These are definitely the best looking Bloody Mary drinks I have ever seen! This is a favourite of my Mum’s, so I know where I will be stopping by to try them soon 🙂 Thank you!
Jayne
Thanks Alexandra and we hope you and your Mum love them!
Caroline
I agree, it really is so easy there’s not a whole lot of sense buying. Looks perfect for weekend brunch!
Deb
These bloody Mary’s look fantastic, I’m going to make them just so I can eat all the garnishes!!!
Jayne
Thanks Deb – We agree! The garnishes are the best part.