Bloody Meri

COCKTAIL INGREDIENTS:
- 60 ml Horseradish Schnapps
- 120 ml Tomato Juice
- 15 ml Fresh Lemon Juice
- 7,5 ml Prepared Horseradish
- 4 Dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
- 3 Dashes of Tabasco
- 1 Pinch of Celery Salt
- 1 Pinch Freshly Ground Black Pepper

GARNISH:
- Cucumber Ribbon
- Chilli Pepper
- Pickled Onion
- Cherry Tomato

INSTRUCTIONS:
• Combine all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker.
• Add ice and give it a gentle shake or stir (without making the drink frothy).
• Strain over fresh ice into a cocktail glass.
• Garnish with a cucumber ribbon, half of chilli pepper and skewered tomato/pickled onions.

Last cocktail of the Bloody Mary series is my take on this tomato juice and vodka classic. I have borrowed elements from both the classic Bloody Mary and its Mexican riff – Bloody Maria and then gave it my own little twist.

I really liked the horseradish spiciness of Bloody Maria and wanted to expand on this note. For this purpose, I chose to swap vodka or tequila with Lithuanian Horseradish Schnapps combining both sharpness of horseradish and the burn of vodka. Rest of the ingredients apart from a little addition of actual horseradish follow the classic Bloody Mary build: tomato juice, tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, some salt and pepper, bring together that all familiar umami rich taste. When enriched by the horseradish the overall flavour profile of the cocktail becomes quite spicy, perhaps a bit too much for someone who is not a lover of spicy food, so feel free to adjust the amount of Tabasco and horseradish to your liking. I chose to garnish it with a cucumber ribbon, the smallest cherry tomato bringing some freshness and a couple of pickled onions adding some acidic vinegary goodness.

All in all, Bloody Meri is not the most complicated riff I have ever made, but it does satisfy my spicy cravings with a little taste of home and sometimes it is exactly what you need.