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Beet and Aquavit Bloody Mary

The bloody Mary is a classic brunch cocktail that packs a savory meal-in-a-glass punch. A blend of tomato juice and salty/spicy condiments like horseradish, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, it’s normally made with vodka. But let’s be honest, vodka doesn’t add much flavor on its own, it’s just there for the booze.

Ingredient:

  • 1 pound medium beets (without tops)

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 1 teaspoon fine salt

  • 2 cups tomato juice

  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill (loosely packed)

  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

  • 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish (not creamed horseradish)

  • 3/4 teaspoon lemon pepper

  • 1 medium garlic clove

  • Hot sauce, to taste

  • 24 ounces aquavit (see headnote)

  • 6 ounces dill havarti cheese, cut into cubes

  • 2 dill pickles, cut crosswise into 1-inch thick slices

  • 8 pickled cocktail onions

Recipe Direction :

  1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
  2. Wrap each beet tightly in foil, adding a drizzle of the olive oil and a generous pinch of salt to each packet. Place beets on a baking sheet and bake until a paring knife can pierce easily through the beets, about 1 hour.
  3. Unwrap beets and let them stand until cool enough to handle. Slip the skins off the beets with your fingers under cool running water. You can do this with kitchen gloves to avoid staining your fingers, if desired.
  4. Cut the beets into 1-inch chunks. Put 2 cups (about 12 ounces) of the beet chunks in a blender. Reserve remaining beets for garnish.
  5. Add the tomato juice, dill, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, lemon pepper, and garlic to the blender and blend until completely smooth. The mixture will be thick but pourable. Taste and add hot sauce until the mixture is as spicy as you like it.
  6. Fill tall cocktail glasses with 1 cup of ice cubes each glass. Add 1/2 cup of the bloody Mary mix to each glass. Add 3 ounces of aquavit to each glass and stir to combine.
  7. Using eight 5 to 6-inch cocktail picks, skewer leftover roasted beets, cheese cubes, pickle slices, and pickled onions and balance a skewer on top of each glass.