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Heat up your cocktail routine with this spicy Bloody Mary! It’s got just the right amount of heat from fresh jalapeño peppers and Tabasco sauce.
Love spicy drinks? Us too. So why not heat up your brunch cocktail routine with a spicy Bloody Mary? This drink has just the right amount of heat in each sip. It’s savory, tangy and salty, not overwhelmingly spicy but with a decided kick on the finish! The pizzazz comes from two ingredients: fresh jalapeño slices and Tabasco sauce. Take a sip and the jalapeño fills the front end and the hot sauce kicks in a zing at the finish. Here’s what you need to know on how to make a spicy Bloody Mary.
Ingredients in a spicy Bloody Mary
The Bloody Mary is a classic cocktail invented back in the 1920’s. The simple combination of vodka and tomato juice went on to become one of the most famous cocktails of all time! It even made it onto the list of International Bartender Association’s IBA official cocktails, which gives it an official definition. For the spicy version, we added a few ingredients to make it a spin to write home about. Here’s what’s in a spicy Bloody Mary:
- Vodka
- Jalapeño pepper
- Tomato juice
- Lemon juice
- Worcestershire sauce
- Horseradish
- Tabasco sauce
- Celery salt
- Black pepper
How to make a spicy Bloody Mary (basic method)
Most of our cocktail recipes are written as a single serving drink. But for this spicy Bloody Mary, you’ll make a mix that serves 4! This makes it easy to use for entertaining, or you can make a single serving and refrigerate the rest for later. Here’s how to make it:
- Chill the tomato juice and vodka first (if possible). This lets the drink get cold without having to use too much ice to dilute it.
- Thinly slice the jalapeño pepper. Remove the seeds if you want a gentler heat. Make sure to wash your hands afterwards!
- Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker without ice. Yes, you’ll shake without ice. Most drinks are shaken are stirred with ice. Why not here? Ice dilutes the mix too much and makes for a watery consistency. Shake with those jalapeños to infuse the spicy flavor!
- Strain and if time, chill. Straining removes the chunks of horseradish from the drink: a cocktail strainer is best (though you can use whatever strainer you have). If you have time, chilling the mixture for about 1 hour or overnight lets the flavors meld.
- Rim the glass and garnish! Serve over ice with the garnishes of your choice.
Chilling allows the flavors to meld (optional)
This spicy Bloody Mary tastes great right away. But it tastes even better after chilling for 1 hour, or even overnight. In fact, you can make it up to 1 week in advance. Why? Chilling helps to meld all the ingredients together into a cohesive flavor.
Since usually this drink is made for entertaining, it shouldn’t be too hard to whip up in advance and chill until serving. But you can also drink it right away: it still tastes fantastic!
Garnishes for a spicy Bloody Mary
There are so many ways to garnish a Bloody Mary: in fact, the garnishes might overshadow the drink itself! For the spicy Bloody Mary, you can use many of the same garnishes as the classic. But prioritize the spicier options
- Sliced jalapeño peppers (or pickled jalapeños)
- Jarred peppers of any kind
- Pepperoncini
- Celery stalks
- Pimento stuffed olives
- Cocktail onions
- Dill pickle spears
- Pickled okra
- Pickled asparagus
Grab some cocktail picks or skewers
The best way to serve the garnishes is using cocktail picks or skewers. (Of course if you’re solo, you can just throw them all in!) Thread all the garnishes onto the picks or skewers: it looks stunning and helps keep the cocktail easy to drink. Here are the bamboo cocktail picks we use.
What to use to rim a spicy Bloody Mary
There are a few variations you can use for the rim on a spicy Bloody Mary, too! You don’t need to lay on the heat because the drink is spicy enough. But here are a few ideas: use each of these in a 50/50 mix with kosher salt:
- Old Bay: Grab some Old Bay online, or if you can’t find it, make it homemade. It has a unique savory flavor that’s absolutely perfect!
- Celery salt: Mix celery salt with kosher salt for a classic spin.
- Smoked paprika: Add a smoky spin to the spice by mixing smoked paprika into the salt rim.
And that’s it! Let us know if you try this spicy Bloody Mary and what you think in the comments below.
More spicy drinks
If you love a spicy Bloody Mary, we’d guess you’ll love these other drinks too!
- Michelada A spicy Mexican beer cocktail made with tomato juice, lime, and hot sauce! Light and refreshing, it’s got a salty, spiced rim.
- Spicy Jalapeño Margarita Heat up your cocktail repertoire with this spicy jalapeno margarita recipe! Crisp and tart, it’s got just the right kick.
Love jalapenos? Try more Irresistible Jalapeno Recipes.
This spicy Bloody Mary recipe is…
Vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan (with vegan Worcestershire sauce), plant-based, and dairy-free.
Spicy Bloody Mary
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 drinks 1x
Description
Heat up your cocktail routine with this spicy Bloody Mary! It’s got just the right amount of heat from fresh jalapeño peppers and Tabasco sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 medium jalapeño pepper
- 2 cups tomato juice, chilled
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (vegan as desired)
- 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco hot sauce
- ½ teaspoon celery salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup (8 ounces) vodka, chilled
- Ice, for serving (try clear ice!)
- For the rim: Old Bay seasoning (purchased or homemade) and kosher salt
- For the garnish: jalapeno slice, lemon wedge, olives (use cocktail picks if desired)
Instructions
- Slice the jalapeño pepper into thin slices. If you prefer a more subtle heat, remove the seeds. (Wash your hands well afterward.)
- If time allows, chill the tomato juice and vodka. Shake the tomato juice before pouring.
- In a large cocktail shaker, combine the jalapeno slices, tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, Tabasco, celery salt and black pepper. Shake well to combine (without ice). Strain into a quart mason jar or small pitcher.
- Optional: If time, chill at least 1 hour or overnight for the best flavor. (Or, make ahead and store up to 1 week.) But you also can serve right away!
- To serve, on a plate place a mixture of roughly half kosher salt and half Old Bay seasoning (or celery salt). Cut a notch in a lemon wedge, then run it around the rim of a glass. Dip the edge of the rim into a plate of salt.
- To each glass, add 2 ounces (¼ cup) of vodka and ½ cup of Bloody Mary mix and stir gently to combine. Fill the glass with ice and add the garnishes.
- Category: Drink
- Method: Stirred
- Cuisine: Cocktails
- Diet: Vegetarian
Bloody Mary variations
Try them all! Here are all the best Bloody Mary variations to try:
- Classic Bloody Mary Here’s the traditional classic cocktail.
- Bloody Maria A Mexican style spin on this drink: using tequila!
- Red Snapper A version with gin!
- Virgin Mary Who needs alcohol? This zero-proof version is just as good.
- Bloody Caesar The delicious Canadian variation starring Clamato juice.
