Drinks and Cocktails
Fire-Roasted Bloody Mary Mix
A homemade mix for Bloody Marys (or Bloody Marias) inspired by Portland bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s recipe and Steven’s Steaks from Hell salsa recipe. I’ve taken Steven’s mantra to heart: “grilling makes everything taste better” – and for years, I’ve stepped his recipe up one bit further by fire-roasting the tomatoes, onions, and garlic directly on raging-hot lump hardwood charcoal with a whiff of mesquite and pecan wood.
The resulting salsa is now a standard summer recipe in our family. So naturally, a homemade Bloody Mix using the same technique had to be tried… turns out, it’s wonderful as a Bloody Mary (with vodka) or a Red Snapper (with gin)… but seriously out of this world as a Bloody Maria (with tequila). ¡Que Sabor!
More Grilled Cocktail Recipes:
Fire-Roasted Bloody Mary Mix
Recipe Notes
- Equipment: Hot lump hardwood charcoal with a mix of mesquite and pecan wood chips
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh tomatoes (stemmed)
- 1 garlic glove (unpeeled)
- 1 quarter avocado
- 1 ounce Worcestershire sauce
- ¾ ounce lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon steak sauce
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (your preference - I used Cholula)
- ½ teaspoon prepared horseradish
- ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder (or whatever chili powder you have handy)
- ¼ cup water
Recipe Steps
1: Roast two pounds of fresh tomatoes (stemmed) and one garlic clove (unpeeled) directly on hot lump hardwood charcoal with a mix of mesquite and pecan wood chips. Remove the garlic after two minutes. Carefully turn the tomatoes after three minutes (they’ll be slippery and coming out of their skins, that’s OK), then remove the tomatoes after a total of five minutes smoke-roasting.
2: Transfer the tomatoes to a bowl and let them cool. Peel the garlic clove. When cool, inspect the tomatoes to remove any bits of wood that may have stuck to their skins. In an electric blender, combine the fire-roasted tomatoes and garlic clove with any accumulated juices and the avocado, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, steak sauce, black pepper, celery salt, hot sauce, prepared horseradish, ancho chili powder, and water.
3: Blend for 60 seconds until puréed and smooth. Strain the mix through a mesh strainer into a bowl or large measuring cup – using a large spoon to stir, press, and scrape to push liquid through and leave behind any solids. Transfer the mix to an airtight one-quart jar and keep refrigerated. Will last about a week.
