Homemade Bloody Mary Mix with Fresh Tomatoes
Homemade Bloody Mary Mix with fresh seasonal tomatoes, smoked sea salt and spicy hot sauce. The perfect Bloody Mary for weekend brunch!
To say I love a spicy Bloody Mary is an understatement.
Blood Marys are one of my favorite “event” drinks, meaning a cocktail so good entire social events are planned around them. Most cocktails are those you could drink every day (though as a dietitian I do not condone daily cocktails, but you do you) but some are so good you need to save them for a special event.
Margaritas, martinis, Bloody Marys…we plan entire events around these cocktails. Margarita nights, yes. Martini nights, definitely. Blood Mary brunch? Absolutely. Vodka tonic nights? Mmm, doesn’t have the same ring to it.
In my humble opinion, Bloody Marys should be spicy as hell and substitute as a “meal in a glass.” I want my Bloody Mary to be overflowing with olives, pickles, onions, celery and any other condiment you could stuff into the glass.
I want my Bloody Mary to double as a small appetizer, because I’m usually only having one (at this point in my life) and I want to get the most bang for my buck.
So now that it’s tomato season and we have tomatoes coming out of our ears, I needed to dream up a way to use the leftovers we had that didn’t involve tomato soup or caprese ciabatta.
Enter the Homemade Bloody Mary Mix with Fresh Seasonal Tomatoes.
Ditch the pre-made Bloody Mary mix for fresh seasonal tomatoes!
Let’s just say it: there are some very bad Bloody Mary mixes on the market. I’ve had them, you’ve had them. Soupy and tomato juice-like, these terrible mixes make ordering a good Bloody Mary a gamble.
So when I decided to craft my own mix, I turned to one of my favorite mixes: ZingZang.
With a blend of smoke and spices, Zing Zang is an industry favorite for the perfect Bloody Mary and I set out to recreate its flavor with easy spices and herbs I already had at home.
Nothing fancy, no fuss. Just a great cocktail mixer made from fresh, seasonal ingredients and a little love of some serious spice!
How to Make Homemade Bloody Mary Mix
First, you need fresh seasonal tomatoes. Any tomatoes will do, but I prefer a red beefsteak or heirloom because they are large and extra juicy.
Romas are fine, but they tend to be firmer and the juices released by the large, soft tomatoes are perfect for making homemade bloody mary mix.
Next, you’ll cut the tomatoes and add them to a soup pot. Then you’ll add your herbs and spices. I personally like fresh basil and oregano with a bit of red pepper flakes, smoked sea salt, and ground black pepper. I also add a small amount of Worcestershire and a bit of juice from a jar of pickles or capers, as well hot sauce such as Tabasco, but you can always add that later to taste.
Next, you’ll heat the tomato, herbs, and spices on medium heat until the tomatoes soften and release their juices, about 15 minutes.
Then you’ll blend the liquid with a traditional or immersion blender until smooth and let the mix cool before building your bloody mary.
And that’s it! A super simple way to recreate the spicy goodness that is ZingZang. Bottoms up!
Homemade Bloody Mary Mix: Tips, Tricks, and Tools
This simple bloody mary mix recipe doesn’t require much equipment, but here are a few of my recommendations for making it perfect every time:
- A soup pot or dutch oven: one of my most-used kitchen tools, a large soup pot or good quality dutch oven is essential for soup (and bloody mary) season.
- Great spices and sauces: my favorite bloody mary spices include smoked sea salt, red pepper flakes, ground black pepper, Tabasco sauce, and Worcestershire
- Fancy cocktail glasses: A set of quality highball cocktail glasses makes a huge difference when making homemade bloody marys for guests
- A blender: to get a smooth mary mix, a handheld immersion blender or traditional blender is key
I hope you enjoy this super easy take on the classic Bloody Mary using fresh seasonal tomatoes! Let me know if you try it during your weekend brunch, I’d love to hear how it turns out.
Craving more simple homemade cocktails? Check out our Spicy Ruby Red Grapefruit Margarita and Mango Berry Rosé Sangria recipes, both made with fresh seasonal superfoods.
Did you make this Simple Homemade Bloody Mary Mix? Leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let us know how it turned out. Save this bloody mary recipe for later by pinning to your favorite cocktail Pinterest board and make sure to tag me on Fork in the Road’s Instagram to show me your bloody mary creations!
Homemade Bloody Mary Mix with Fresh Tomatoes
Homemade Bloody Mary Mix with fresh seasonal tomatoes, smoked sea salt and spicy hot sauce. The perfect Bloody Mary for weekend brunch!
Ingredients
Bloody Mary Mix
- 4 large (750g) tomatoes, cut into quarters
- ½ cup (12g) fresh basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons pickle juice or caper juice
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (I used Tobasco)
- 3-4 squirts worcestershire sauce
- ⅛ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon hickory smoked sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
Bloody Mary with Homemade Bloody Mary Mix (per Bloody Mary)
- 6 oz Homemade Bloody Mary Mix (see above)
- 1.5 oz vodka (I suggest Tito's)
- Condiments, as desired: olives, pickles, limes, celery, green onions, pearled onions, etc.
Instructions
- Cut tomatoes in large pieces and place in pot with basil, pickle or caper sauce, hot sauce, worcestershire, oregano, salt, and pepper in a soup pot. Bring to medium-low heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until tomatoes cook down and become tender.
- When tomatoes take on a soupy texture, blend mixture with immersion blender in a food processor until smooth. Place in refrigerator until chilled before using.
- To make Bloody Mary: Combine vodka and Homemade Bloody Mary Mix in a glass with ice; stir to combine. Garnish with desired condiments and serve.
Notes
- Leftovers & Storage: Homemade Bloody Mary Mix will keep for about a week in the refrigerator. It will taste better after a day or two, so it's an easy make-ahead mix!
- Nutrition: This cocktail mixer recipe is added sugar free and relatively low in sodium compared to premade mixers.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1 bloody mary (6 ounces)Amount Per Serving: Calories: 85Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 415mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 2gSugar: 14gProtein: 2g
Excellent I have not changed anything
Great! I’m happy you liked this bloody mary mix recipe, it’s one of my favorites. I hope you had it spicy!
I’m a little confused by the recipe. I don’t need to take the skin off my tomatoes first? Or de-seed them?
Hi Beth, thanks for reaching out. No, you do not need to remove the skin or the seeds of the tomatoes. Both the tomato skin and seeds are perfectly edible and, in fact, contain fiber and nutrients. And because the bloody mary mix is blended, everything is blended until smooth anyway. Enjoy!
Sounds and looks delicious and I’m making the mix today! Have plenty of juicy tomatoes to use up. (See slight error in last word of third paragraph.)
I hope you like it! Let me know how it turns out and if you add anything fun to your version. Bottoms up!
I never thought to make my own bloody mary mix! I’m a big fan of zing zang so this looks like it will be right up my alley.
It’s so simple! I love making homemade versions of my favorite products. It’s not always a hit but it sure is fun testing (and drinking ) until it’s perfect. 🙂
I’ve never canned. How do I save this for future use?
Hi Krista, thanks for reaching out. This recipe can easily be saved by freezing. Just fill up a big jar or smaller single-serving reusable containers with the bloody mary mix and freeze until you’re ready to use. I usually thaw by taking it out of the freezer and putting into the refrigerator the day before, or let the jar/container thaw on the counter for a few hours before serving. Hope that helps!
This is a wonderful recipe! Thank you. That said I am starting to experiment with other fresh ingredients from my garden – mainly different types of peppers; cayenne, Tabasco, jalapeño, and habanero. Oh and it was all going great until you suggested Tito’s vodka. It’s horrid. I’d suggest actual vodka – like Stolichnaya. Anyway, thanks again!
I’m so glad you liked it Scott! It’s the perfect recipe to use up garden scraps for happy hour. And you’re right, Stoli would definitely take this up a notch!
I’d like to can this recipe for zing zang do you water bath this or pressure cook?
Hi Pennie, I’m glad you enjoy the recipe! I’ve only just started canning myself so I’m not an expert, however you could treat this bloody mary mix recipe just like you would any tomato sauce recipe. So if you would water bath your tomato sauce then that would work on this mix. Make sure to write back and let us know how it turned out!
I read the ingredients in bottled catsup and it contained High Fructose Corn Syrup!!!! So I made a homemade version with tomatoes from the garden, thickened it with tomato paste. However, since I still had lots of tomatoes left: I found your recipe for the bloody mary mix – OMG to die for. Thank you.
I’m so glad you liked it Phyllis! It’s one of our favorite tomato season recipes and one of the most popular recipes on the blog. Cheers!