City Grocery Bloody Marys

Chef John Currence's restaurant City Grocery in Oxford, Mississippi serves up these incredible Bloody Marys.

Southern Living City Grocery Bloody Marys in a glass to serve
Photo:

Brian Woodcock; Styling: Lydia Pursell

Active Time:
10 mins
Total Time:
55 mins
Servings:
6

This recipe comes from celebrated Mississippi chef John Currence via Alabama-based designer Billy Reid. "I use my good friend John Currence’s recipe from City Grocery [a restaurant in Oxford, Mississippi] for one of my favorite Bloody Marys,” says Billy. “I think it has 16 ingredients in it. That’s the way he wants it—complicated, complex, and spectacular at the same time. It’s a labor of love.” And we would add that it packs quite the punch, too.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups vegetable juice (such as V8)

  • 1 3/4 cups (14 oz.) vodka (good quality but not top-shelf)

  • 3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

  • 2 Tbsp. dill pickle juice

  • 5 tsp. prepared horseradish

  • 2 1/2 tsp. finely grated shallot (from 1 large shallot)

  • 2 1/2 tsp. black pepper, plus more for serving

  • 2 tsp. hot sauce (such as Tabasco)

  • 2 tsp. grated lemon zest plus 1/4 cup fresh juice (from 1 lemon)

  • 1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic (from 3 garlic cloves)

  • 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

  • 1 tsp. grated lime zest plus 2 Tbsp. fresh juice (from 1 lime)

  • 3/4 tsp. celery seeds

  • Ice

  • 6 pickled okra pods

  • 12 cocktail onions

  • 6 good-quality pitted green olives (such as Castelvetrano)

  • 6 lime wedges

Directions

  1. Place vegetable juice, vodka, Worcestershire, pickle juice, horseradish, shallot, pepper, hot sauce, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt, lime zest, lime juice, and celery seeds in a large pitcher; stir well to combine. Chill in refrigerator for at least 45 minutes or up to 24 hours.

  2. Fill 6 tumblers with ice. Thread 1 okra pod, 2 cocktail onions, and 1 olive on each of 6 skewers; add 1 skewer to each glass.

  3. Pour chilled mixture over ice in glasses. Sprinkle each drink with additional pepper, and place 1 lime wedge on each rim.

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