Mexican Bloody Mary – 5:00 Fridays

I’ve just spent the better part of a week in San Diego for spring break with my family. No, we didn’t go to the zoo. Yes, we went to Sea World and LEGOLAND. We ate copious amounts of fish tacos and drank our weight in margaritas (on the rocks, with salt). Mac Daddy and Bird consumed barrels of salsa, and the waiters couldn’t keep the chip basket full. Bird and Deal had kiddie cocktails as a special treat, as they always do on vacation. We ate gelato, ice cream, churros, and other empty yet tasty calories. I think we could all use a good teeth cleaning right about now. And a personal trainer to whip my buns into shape. What we all will remember from this trip are the many Mexican meals, replete with homemade salsa, black bean dip, and freshly made hand rolled tortillas. I left San Diego licking my lips and yearning for something savory to remind me of being a postcard tourist in Old Town.

Mexican Bloody Mary

vodka (hot pepper infused if you have it)
tomato juice (low sodium)
clam juice
Dirty Sue olive juice
lime (quartered)
fresh cilantro
cumin
chili powder
garlic powder
sea salt
green olives
pickled garlic
pickled jalapeno pepper
lemon wedges

Mix cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and sea salt in a small plate. Rub the rim of a tall glass with a lime wedge and turn upside down onto dish of spices to rim the glass. Muddle a small handful of cilantro with the rest of the lime wedges and clam juice. Pour one shot of vodka into the tall glass. Add tomato juice and cilantro/lime/clam juice mixture. Add just a splash of Dirty Sue olive juice. Give it all a quick stir. Grab a toothpick and pile on the garnishes.

I like to think of the bloody mary as the cocktail that drinks like a meal.

Salud!