The Bloody Mary Is the Official Beverage of Thanksgiving Morning

What else follows the biggest drinking night of the year?

According to the calendar of made-up holidays, January 1st is supposedly “National Bloody Mary Day.” Yes, yes, I guess the clichéd idea is that, once you finally wake up from your New Year’s Eve revelry, a spicy Bloody Mary might be the only way to ease into the new year. Yawn. False.

First of all, New Year’s Eve is amateur night compared to the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. That’s why the true National Bloody Mary Day is during the late morning or early afternoon of Thanksgiving. That’s when you’ve woken up from the biggest drinking night of the year and need a little kick before you start cooking the annual 3,000-calorie meal.

I know, everyone claims that either they or someone close to them (wife, brother-in-law, wine aunt, drunk uncle) makes The Very Best Bloody Mary Ever. But let’s be honest: This isn’t true. Most Bloody Marys are bloody awful. The Bloody Mary is a deceptively simple, but vexing, drink. In the wrong bartender’s hands, it quickly turns into a gloopy, tomato-gravy, overgrown-foliage disaster.

First of all, no version using one of those pre-fab Bloody Mary mixes can be considered “good” (Sorry, Mr. and Mrs. T). That means, yes, you’ll need to buy tomato juice and Worcestershire sauce to mix yourself. Use a little more vodka (or better yet aquavit) and a little less juice. Be generous with the pepper and spice. And don’t forget that a dash of citrus juice helps keep things fresh and bright.

Finally, can we be completely honest about something? The whole celery-stalk-plus-olive-plus-pickle-plus-pepper-plus-shrimp-plus-whatever on-a-stick is a little bit much. A garnish should garnish. Not take over the glass.

A single stalk of celery in a Bloody Mary is fine. Even more elegant is a simple lemon peel twist. Serving a Bloody Mary with only a lemon peel, however, takes a certain kind of confidence and swagger. You will almost certainly be called out by someone who expects the celery-stalk-plus-olive-plus-pickle-plus-pepper-plus-shrimp-on-a-stick. My general response: “Okay, Mr. T.”

One element of a great Bloody Mary lies in the seasoning, which is both straightforward and specific. One non-negotiable ingredient for me is celery bitters rather than celery salt. Look for celery bitters from The Bitter Truth, Bittermens, or Scrappy’s.

Hands down, the very best Bloody Marys are made with aquavit (sometimes called a Bloody Marion). Other people swear by gin (Bloody Marlene) or tequila (Bloody Maria), but for me aquavit’s herbal profile makes sense in savory cocktails.

With that in mind, below is my favorite, oh-so-simple Bloody Mary variation. I am going to claim, of course, that this is the Very Best Bloody Mary Ever. And you, of course, will disagree.

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Nordic Snapper

The Bloody Mary was invented in Paris during the 1920s, but after Prohibition, the drink migrated to New York, where it was served at the St. Regis Hotel. Concerned that more conservative American patrons might be offended by the name, the St. Regis rechristened the drink the Red Snapper. With its equal parts vodka and tomato juice, as well as a squeeze of lemon juice, the Red Snapper is the superior expression of the cocktail, not like the goopy tomato-gravy nonsense you usually get. My “Nordic” rendition here calls for aquavit instead of vodka.

• 2 ounces aquavit

• 2 ounces tomato juice

• 1/4 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

• 2 dashes celery bitters

• Pinch fine sea salt

• Pinch freshly ground black pepper

• Pinch cayenne pepper

• Twist of lemon peel, for garnish

Fill a shaker with ice. Add the aquavit, tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, celery bitters, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Shake well, then strain into an ice-filled highball glass. Garnish with the lemon peel twist. You may also serve with a single stalk of celery, but nothing else.