Entertaining

If You Like Bloody Marys, Try These 8 Cocktails

For proof that Canadians like to get a little freaky in their cocktail glasses, look no further than the Bloody Caesar, a riff on the Bloody Mary that swaps plain old tomato juice for briny Clamato. While you might expect the substitution to dilute your precious Bloody into a soiled wharf of fishy nonsense, the clam broth actually integrates smoothly with the savory spices and tomato. Think of penne alla vodka crossed with pasta and red clam sauce.

Because the Bloody Mary is primarily a morning cocktail, it pays to prep a batch ahead of time in the evening. This pre-bottled variation is ready for your bleary-eyed brunch struggle—though your eyes won’t be sleepy for long after a few sips of this wake-up juice. The traditional vodka is joined by amontillado sherry, which adds enough bright edge to cut through the deepest early morning stupor.

Another savory tipple from way back when, the Bullshot includes all the same hallmark spices and seasonings as a Bloody Mary, but calls for beef broth instead of tomato juice. Before you cry foul, recall your initial reaction to the concept of a spicy tomato cocktail. The Bullshot is worth giving a shot if you’ve never tried it, and worthy of your positive press if you already enjoy the beefy lowball on occasion.

Some people love Flamin’ Hot Cheetos more than life itself. Others can’t imagine going on without a Bloody in hand. For the savory, spicy, cheesy, citrusy, boozy center of that pie chart, there’s the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Bloody Mary. Rimmed with spicy Cheetos dust and served with a sidecar of the addicting little puffs, this hybrid cocktail will make every one of your neurons do somersaults. Neither treat will ever be the same.

An everything bagel with cream cheese and lox is about as iconic a dish as will ever rule the breakfast table. While a spicy as heck Bloody wouldn’t make a totally incompatible partner to the creamy, cooling, dill-punched nosh, we made an even better savory sipper to go along with our fave deli order. Bright red from beet shrub (not salmon), vegetal and juicy from cucumber vodka, and garnished with a rim of everything bagel seasoning, this brunch drink may be the only proper replacement for a Bloody Mary.

There are Bloody lovers all over the world, so it makes sense the cocktail would take on flavors from different countries and cuisines. Swapping vodka for tequila adds a bit more boozy character to the cocktail, but supporting that tequila with other Mexican flavors like jalapeño, Tapatio hot sauce and Tajin seasoning gives the classic Bloody a whole new flavor profile. Different strokes for different folks.

A step even further removed from the Bloody Maria, this tomato-infused tequila drink is actually a juicy take on a Margarita. Unlike the sweet, fruity margs you may have sampled, this savory riff satisfies the heartier appetites of a habitual Bloody drinker while remaining light on the palate, thanks to aloe liqueur and bright lime juice. It’s a boozy reminder that a tomato is still a fruit after all.

A spicy Bloody Mary may be a bit too much on a hot day, when the temperature makes you break a sweat before you even roll out of bed. On such dire morns, look to your blender for an icy brunch-tail. Rather than simply blitzing everything with crushed ice, this cooled down cocktail adds a good amount of milk to the mix, blanketing the traditional Bloody flavors in a creamy, velvety texture. It will immediately coat your mouth and brain in chill vibes.