recipe: bloody mary

I am not usually much of a cocktail person. For the most part, cocktail recipes are too sweet, too strong, or they just don't taste good -- give me a glass of wine or champagne over some sickly-sweet pink drink any day.

Every once in a while, though, I make an exception, and when I do, it's inevitably for a bloody mary.

Because this isn't really a cocktail, is it? It's more like a well-balanced meal in a glass.

...ok. That's a stretch. But it's a yummy, spicy mix of some great ingredients, and even to my cocktail-wary self, they taste great.

Which, of course, is largely due to the Tabasco sauce. Being married to a Texan, I have a love-hate relationship with anything spicy -- I like it in moderation, but it overwhelms me pretty quickly. For this recipe, 6 drops of Tabasco saucy was just enough to enhance the flavor of the drink, but not so much that I'd take two sips and reach for a glass of milk. If I were making it for someone with Chad's tolerance, though, I could probably use the whole bottle.

Obviously there's a big football game next week -- as a former college cheerleader, I've seen enough football to last the rest of my life, but I can still get excited for the crazy, awesome spectacle that is the Superbowl. So splash some Tabasco sauce on your pizza, chicken wings, french fries... or just serve a big pitcher of this.

FYI -- I garnished this with a slice of apple instead of celery, because you guys know my absolute aversion to celery. And a little sweetness is nice with all that spice!

This post brought to you by TABASCO® Original Red. All opinions are 100% mine.

recipe: bloody mary