HOMEMADE BLOODY MARY MIX

Homemade Bloody Mary Mix

INGREDIENTS: 

• 12 medium vine-ripe tomatoes

• 1/2 cup water

• 2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped

• 1/2 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped

• 1 clove garlic, crushed

• 1 Tbs. sugar

• 2 tsp. salt

• 2 Tbs. lemon juice

• 2 Tbs. prepared horseradish

• 3 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

• 2 tsp. celery salt

• 1 ½ tsp. Old Bay seasoning

• 1/4 tsp. bottled hot pepper sauce

• (optional) Vodka

• Pickled okra for garnish

DIRECTIONS: 

Remove cores from tomatoes and cut tomatoes into pieces. Place in large saucepan with water, celery, onion, garlic, sugar, and salt. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes or until tomatoes are soft. Using a colander or sieve, strain tomato mixture into a large bowl, pushing on tomato pieces to extract all juice. Discard solids.

Return strained mixture to pot over low heat. Stir in lemon juice, horseradish, Worcestershire, celery salt, and Old Bay seasoning. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Stir in hot pepper sauce if using. Transfer Bloody Mary mix to a pitcher and chill. (Because the acidity and water content of tomatoes can vary, taste the juice before chilling and adjust seasonings according to taste.) Cool to room temperature. The juice mixture can be made one day in advance. It is natural for the mixture to separate slightly, so stir or shake before serving.

Pour over crushed ice, add desired amount of vodka, and stir. Garnish as desired.