Confession: I don't like tomato juice, at all! Therefore I have never had a proper Bloody Mary.
Yikes, did I just put that out there on the internet?! Actually if you want to get technical I really am not a fan of raw tomatoes. I am the adult that nonchalantly pushes them to the side of the plate. That is of course unless people are looking and then I begrudgingly eat them with a smile on my face. Seriously, what vegetarian food blogger doesn't like raw tomatoes?! Admittedly I am a little weird.
What I do really like are tomatillos with their tart little bite and their cute little paper husks. I love peeling the husk back to reveal their beautiful green flesh almost as much as I like cooking with them. So, a few weeks ago during a cocktail conversation with my favorite Long Beach bartender Joy I asked "Can you make a Bloody Mary with tomatillos instead of tomatoes?" in true Joy fashion her reply was "Heck yes we can!" ...seriously you gotta love having a bar tending buddy that will come to your house and develop drink recipes with you.
For 3 days Joy and I tested and retested Verde Mary recipes! We juiced, we blended, and we mixed until we had the perfect concoction. Having never tasted a Bloody Mary before I wasn't really sure what we were going for, but what I can tell you is that this drink is the perfect blend of tart and savory with a touch of sweet. According to Todd and Joy, my real deal Bloody Mary aficionados, this is summertime cocktail perfection and I completely agree!
Verde Mary Cocktail (Gluten Free & Vegan)
- Yield: 4-12 ounce 1x
Ingredients
Cucumber quick pickle mix-in
- ⅔ cup peeled and diced cucumber
- 1 ½ teaspoon Maldon salt
- juice of 1 large lime
- 2 tablespoons Bee Free Honee, agave, or honey
Verde drink
- 12 ounces tomatillo puree
- 2 ounce cilantro juice
- 2 ounce cucumber juice
- juice of 4 large lime
- 1 teaspoon minced lemongrass
- 1 teaspoon peeled and grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon of minced garlic
- pinch of kosher salt
- 8 ounces ice cold vodka
- ice
Garnish
- Strips of cucumber
- Lime wheels
- Red Fresno pepper slices
- Finely ground coconut bacon
Instructions
Make the quick pickle mix-in
- In a small bowl combine the diced cucumber, Maldon salt, juice of 1 large lime, and Bee Free Honee. Stir well to combine; set aside to marinate.
Make the base
- Combine the tomatillo puree, cilantro juice, cucumber juice, lime juice, lemongrass, ginger, black pepper, paprika, garlic, salt , vodka, and a few cubes of ice in a large martini shaker. Gently shake the mixture a few times to combine.
Build your Verde Mary
- Rub a lime wheel around the lip of each glass and immediately dip the rim into the ground coconut bacon. Wrap a cucumber slice around the inside of each glass and fill the glass with ice. Place 1 ½ tablespoons of the quick pickle in each glass then fill each glass with the Verde Mary mixture. Place a lime wheel on the lip of each glass and place a red pepper slice in each glass.
Notes
To spice up your Verde Mary place a few slices of Fresno pepper into the martini shaker along with your base before shaking.
Kate @¡Hola! Jalapeño says
I DO love a good bloody mary and raw tomatoes (but I won't judge) but I also love this cocktail-yum!
Meg says
Thank you for not judging. Haha! I force myself to eat them hoping one day I will love raw tomatoes, but it just doesn't happen.
kristal says
How does one juice cilentro
Sorry typo texting while sitting In a car
Meg says
No problem Kristal! I actually run the fresh cilantro through my juicer, but you could always blend the cilantro in with the tomatillos in the blender if you don't have a juicer.
Cara says
I don't recall you pushing aside that raw tomato salsa at TS
Meg says
Well Cara, Taco Surf salsa isn't actually chunky...for some reason I can dig it. See, I told you, I'm just weird.
Miachel | spiced curiosity says
Love how fresh (and funky) it sounds! Who'd have thought to mix tasty tomatillos and lemongrass together? 🙂
Susan says
This sounds absolutely spectacular! I don't like Bloody Marys, either. And the only kind of raw tomatoes I really like are ripe grape tomatoes. Like you, I love tomatillos. I do have a couple of questions, though: 1) do you puree the raw tomatillos, or do you cook them first? It seems like the raw ones would be difficult to puree. 2) Since I don't have a juicer, would adding the cilantro and cucumber to the puree mix work? Thanks.
Meg says
Thanks Susan! I am glad to know that I am not alone with my dislike of raw tomatoes. Haha! To answer your questions: 1) Yes, I puree them raw. I simply quarter the tomatillos and place them in the blender. If you need to add a few tablespoons of water to get the blades moving you can do that as well. 2) I definitely think you can add the cucumber and cilantro to the blender as well. You will have a thicker Verde Mary, but according to my Bloody Mary aficionados over here at B&B texture is desired in a good Bloody Mary. I would recommend peeling the cucumber though. I would love to know how it turns out!
P.S. Joy from Mixed with Joy and I were just talking about roasting tomatillos for a roasted Verde Mary the other day. That recipe may make its way here soon too!