Seriously Spicy Bloody Marys with Spicy Candied Bacon

I’ve got another dad-approved recipe for you all today!

My spicy blood mary’s with smoky-spiced candied bacon! And shrimp! And stuffed olives! And pickles!

I couldn’t put all of that in the title, but I need you to know that each of these garnishes make my heart sing equally.

Bloody mary’s always make me think of my dad.

Every Father’s Day for as long as I can remember, we do a version of bloody mary’s (we do it on Christmas Day, too). My dad has been making them for as long as I can remember, and last year, I perfected my own recipe.

We like our bloody mary’s to be spicy and heavy on the horseradish. If this isn’t your thing, you can still make this recipe and cut the hot sauce and horseradish in half and then adjust to your taste. But if you like things spicy, carry on with the recipe as written. You won’t be disappointed.

I like to jazz things up with pureed celery and onion (trust me – Ina told me to do it), the horseradish and hot sauce (mandatory for me), and a splash of pickle juice! If that sounds totally bizarre to you, trust me when I say that it might just make these what they are.

It adds a briny tang and herbaceous note that you can’t get from anything else. I happen to love anything pickled, and apparently even my bloody mary’s aren’t safe. If you aren’t into pickles, don’t worry, the addition doesn’t make it taste like your drinking a pickle back shot. It’s subtle!

Not only is the bloody mary mix itself really fantastic (yes, I’m tooting my own horn here for a sec), but the bacon I made to garnish these miiiiight steal the show. I mean, when does candied bacon NOT steal the show?

This version is sweet and caramely with a spicy kick. I rub brown sugar, chili powder, and cayenne all over the bacon before baking it in the oven. The sugar and spices bake right into the bacon as it crisps up, creating a sort of caramelized crust of flavor. It is to die for. I’m currently dreaming of a BLT made with said bacon.

The candied element of the bacon adds a touch of sweetness to the cocktail. I know bloody mary’s are NOT a sweet drink, and I keep it that way, but it’s nice to cut through all the salt and spice with a little sweetness, and the bacon does just that. Plus, people just get damn excited when you hand them a cocktail with a piece of bacon sticking out of it. Guaranteed.

The thing I love about this recipe is that you prep the bloody mary’s mix completely ahead and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve to your guests. I also prep all the garnishes ahead of time and keep them in little bowls in the fridge. Then, people can mix and match their own garnishes as they see fit. I eat them all.

Give me the bacon, shrimp, stuffed olives, and pickles. Every time. And don’t skimp!

I highly recommend that you mix these up for Dad this weekend. Again, who doesn’t love a cocktail with bacon?

Seriously Spicy Bloody Marys with Spicy Candied Bacon

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• Author: Molly
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x

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Description

These Seriously Spicy Bloody Marys with Spicy Candied Bacon have something for everyone. They’re bold and spicy, flavored with lots of hot sauce and horseradish, and garnished with spicy candied bacon, jumbo shrimp, stuffed olives, and pickles! Does it get any better than bacon in a cocktail?

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the Bacon:

• 6 slices thick-cut bacon
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder (or regular chili powder)
• ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

For the Bloody Mary Mix:

• 3 large stalks of celery, chopped
• 2 tablespoons onion, minced
• 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish (or more, to taste)
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 15 dashes hot sauce (or more, to taste)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons dill pickle juice (taken from a jar of pickles)
• 36 oz tomato juice
• 1½ cups vodka

For Rimming the Glasses:

• ⅓ cup kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder (or regular chili powder)
• ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

For Garnish:

• The candied bacon
• Celery stalks
• Cooked and peeled jumbo shrimp (I like to leave the tail on)
• Feta or blue cheese stuffed olives
• Cornichon pickles

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Instructions

For the Bacon:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place a cooking rack on top and spread the bacon slices out in an even layer on the rack.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and spices. Sprinkle the mixture all over the top of the bacon slices.
3. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the bacon is rendered, crispy, and the sugar-spice mixture has caramelized.
4. Remove from the oven and allow the bacon to cool on the rack. It will continue to crisp up as it cools.

For the Bloody Mary Mix:

1. To a food processor, add the celery, onion, horseradish, Worcestershire, celery salt, hot sauce, lemon juice, and dill pickle juice. Pulse until the celery and onion are finely minced and all the ingredients are well mixed.
2. Transfer the mixture to a large serving pitcher. Add the tomato juice and vodka, stir well, and taste. Adjust the horseradish, hot sauce, or salt to your tastes.
3. Refrigerate the pitcher prior to serving (you can make the mix up to 1 day ahead and keep it in the fridge. Stir well before serving).

For Rimming the Glasses:

1. Mix the salt and spices on a plate or in a shallow bowl.
2. Run a lemon wedge around the rims of tall/highball style glasses and then dip the rims in the spiced salt.

To Serve:

1. Fill the glasses with ice. Give the Bloody Mary mix a good stir and pour it over the ice.
2. Garnish each glass with a slice of bacon and a celery stalk.
3. I like to also skewer cooked shrimp, stuffed olives, and cornichon pickles on cocktail skewers/toothpicks and garnish each glass with one. All garnishes are optional but encouraged!

Notes

Bloody Mary Mix lightly adapted from here.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus chill time)
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Category: cocktails