Bloody-Good Bloody Mary's with Roasted Heirloom Tomato Puree, Horseradish Infused Vodka, & Hot Sauce Ice Cubes

Wow, we are absolutely pooped. But, we had an amazing time celebratin' the new year downtown!! Hands down, best NYE party ever :) Even though we stayed up late, we had been planning our New Years' Day brunch for like two weeks. No lie. And what do I think of that has to be a part of our feast... Bloody Mary's of course! I know this is not the main dish, but it wouldn't be the start of 2012 without some these bad boys (or girls I guess). Well, I'm no Bloody Mary expert, but I knew I wanted to do everything from scratch (but of course). First, I infused some vodka with fresh horseradish. I did this for about 1 week, so that the vodka would have great horseradish flavor, which is a key component in any great Bloody Mary. Next, I knew that I didn't want to use any ole' tomato juice or mix from the store. No no no, that's not good. So, I bought some ripe heirloom tomatoes and roasted them in the oven along with some shallots, rosemary, and a whole head of garlic. This is the key to this drink people. Roasting the vegetables gives the drink an amazing body & base to add on to. After roasting, I pureed the mixture with some fresh tomato water and all the traditional fixins' like lemon, hot sauce, worcestershire, & a few other knick knacks. Another component that is also a must-have are the hot sauce ice cubes. I honestly can't think of anything more unappetizing than a watered down Bloody Mary. So these flavored ice cubes solve that problem because when they melt, they just add more heat & flavor to the drink (yum). To assemble the drink, we put a dash of worcestershire at the bottom and filled our glasses with the hot sauce ice cubes, and then poured that gorgeous tomato puree over them 'cubes. Top the Bloody Mary's with some cold beer, all sorts of pickled vegetables, and lime wedges (for squeezin'). We have now dubbed these babies as our "Bloody-Good Bloody Mary's" because, well... they are bloody good. Aight?! I know, so cheesy. Anyway, make these for your next party or brunch next weekend because these are damn good... bloody damn good!! Enjoy :)

Bloody-Good Bloody Mary's with Roasted Heirloom Tomato Puree, Horseradish Infused Vodka, & Hot Sauce Ice Cubes 

Heirloom Tomatoes, Shallots, Garlic, & Rosemary Ready to be Roasted (which means extra-yummy flavor)

For the Horseradish Infused Vodka:

1 750mL Bottle of Vodka

1 3inch Piece of Fresh Horseradish, Peeled & Cut into 6 Slices

For the Roasted Heirloom Tomato Puree:

2lbs Fresh Heirloom Tomatoes,

4 Shallots, Peeled and Quartered

1 Head of Garlic, Peeled into Cloves

Olive Oil

Fresh Herbs (thyme, oregano, basil, or rosemary)

Salt & Pepper

For the Tomato Water:

1lb Sweet Tomatoes, Chopped

For the Hot Sauce-Tomato Ice Cubes:

½C of Your Favorite Hot Sauce

1C Tomato Juice (or bloody mary mix)

For the Bloody Mary Mix:

3C Roasted Heirloom Tomato Puree, Cold

1C Tomato Water

¼C Hot Sauce

3T Fresh Lemon Juice

1T Worcestershire Sauce

1t Sriracha

1T Pickled Jalapenos, Minced

1t Fresh Ginger, Minced

1t Prepared Horseradish

1t Honey

1C Horseradish Infused Vodka, Chilled

¼C Tequila

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Bloody Good-Bloody Mary’s:

Hot Sauce Ice Cubes

Prepared Bloody Mary Mix, Chilled

Pickled Green Beans, Okra, Asparagus, Carrots & Jalapenos

Cocktail Onions

Lime Wedges

Cold Beer (for topping the drink)

Celery Salt & Pepper, To Taste

Directions:

1. For the Horseradish Infused Vodka:  Add the horseradish slices into the vodka. Seal the bottle or container, and let it steep for at least 1 week or up to one month (for a stronger flavor). Once you have reached your preferred strength of flavor, strain the vodka into another clean bottle, discarding the bottle that you had infused it in. Chill the vodka in the freezer until ready to use.

2. For the Roasted Heirloom Tomato Puree: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and cut the heirloom tomatoes into quarters. Spread the tomatoes, shallots, and garlic cloves onto a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt & pepper, and toss with the fresh herbs. Roast for 30 minutes or until the tomatoes & shallots are brown and caramelized. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Dump all of the remaining ingredients into a blender and process until smooth. Refrigerate until cold.

3. For the Sweet Tomato Water: Roughly chop your sweet tomatoes and place them in a sieve that is set over a bowl, and let it drain for two hours, or until the tomatoes stop dripping. Discard the chopped sweet tomatoes or toss them into your drink for extra texture.

4. For the Hot Sauce Ice Cubes: In a mixing bowl, mix together the hot sauce and tomato juice (or bloody mary mix) until smooth and combined. Pour the mixture into ice cube trays and freeze.

5. To Make the Bloody Mary Mix: In a large pitcher, combine the roasted tomato puree, sweet tomato water, lemon juice, Worcestershire, Sriracha, fresh ginger, horseradish infused vodka, and tequila. Stir until smooth and combined. Taste the liquid and season with salt & pepper. Chill the Bloody Mary mix until very cold.

6. To Make a Bloody Good-Bloody Mary: Fill tall cocktail glasses with some of the Hot Sauce-Tomato Juice Ice Cubes. Pour in the Bloody Mary Mix about ¾ of the way up the glass, and then top with cold beer to the rim. Garnish with pickled vegetables, cocktail onions, and lime wedges. Sprinkle some celery salt & pepper on top and enjoy. Serve cold. 

Here are also some pictures from our NYE celebration last night...