Bloody Mary Recipe per Person

Bloody Mary recipe scaling

The classic Bloody Mary is a savory brunch cocktail, and it scales off a per-person ratio: 60ml vodka + 120ml tomato juice + 15ml lemon juice + 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce + 3 dashes Tabasco + celery salt + black pepper. To make enough for a group, multiply each ingredient by the number of guests. Eight people, for example, works out to 480ml vodka, 960ml tomato juice and 120ml lemon juice.

Serve it in a highball glass over ice with a salted rim. To get the rim, run a lemon wedge around the edge and dip it in celery salt. Garnish with a celery stalk and a lemon wedge, plus olives, pickles or a cooked shrimp if you like. The drink was invented at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris in the 1920s by bartender Fernand Petiot.

Applications

The Bloody Mary is the unofficial brunch cocktail on Sunday menus around the world, and its salty, savory profile and vitamin-rich tomato base have earned it a reputation as a “hangover cure”. Reach for this calculator when you're planning a brunch party, setting up a Bloody Mary bar where guests mix their own with hot sauces, pickles and garnishes, or batching a pitcher ahead of time.

FAQ

What’s a Virgin Mary? It's the non-alcoholic version: the same recipe with the vodka left out. A good call for designated drivers and pregnant guests.

Can I batch it the night before? You can. Mix everything except the vodka and keep it in the fridge. Hold off on the vodka and ice until you serve, otherwise the drink ends up watered down.

What’s the best vodka? A clean, neutral vodka is the safe choice (Smirnoff, Absolut, Tito’s). Flavored vodkas like pepper or bacon add complexity, but they tend to bury the tomato.