This post has been sponsored by Stirrings. All opinions expressed are my own.
We’re serving classic Bloody Mary Cocktails alongside Mediterranean-Style Smoked Salmon Sandwiches for the ultimate Spring luncheon!
The quintessential brunch cocktail. The tonic of choice of the roaring 20s. An American hangover remedy. Garden party and drinks.
Despite its numerous variations and irrepressible popularity, when the Bloody Mary was first popularized at New York’s 21 Club, it started out as little more than tomato juice and vodka. However, the Bloody Mary we know and love today owes its infinitely more delectable recipe to Fernand Pertiot during tenure at the King Cole Room.
A 2008 article from Epicurius, by Michael Y. Park, quotes Petiot as saying, in a 1964 interview he gave to The New Yorker, “I initiated the Bloody Mary of today. Jessel said he created it, but it was really nothing but vodka and tomato juice when I took it over. I cover the bottom of the shaker with four large dashes of salt, two dashes of black pepper, two dashes of cayenne pepper, and a layer of Worcestershire sauce; I then add a dash of lemon juice and some cracked ice, put in two ounces of vodka and two ounces of thick tomato juice, shake, strain, and pour. We serve a hundred to a hundred and fifty Bloody Marys a day here in the King Cole Room and in the other restaurants and the banquet rooms.”
Regardless of its origin, I’ve always considered the Bloody Mary to be the perfect cocktail for brunches and outdoor spring parties. It’s fresh and ‘lively’ tasting without being the ‘fruit bombs’ often associated with outdoor spring and summer drinking. It’s the sort of drink that you can pair with more ‘refined’ or ‘subtler’ recipes without fear of overpowering or overshadowing them.
Take today’s lox sandwich for example. While it can serve equally well at a garden party or as something you fix take out on the deck on your own, it’s the kind of recipe that if I feel like indulging in an ‘adult beverage,’ something like a Bloody Mary is what I’ll default to. You get the shallots and sun dried tomatoes from the sandwich, and that melds perfectly with the herbed tomato and vodka from the Bloody Mary, with both complementing rather than ‘carrying’ or ‘overpowering’ each other.
However, that recipe Petiot outlined sounds like a fair bit of work. So, let’s you’ve got a house full – or a backyard full – of thirty guests, but you don’t feel like playing bartender to your friends and family, nor do you feel like cleaning up their clumsy attempts at “fixing themselves one.” Or, let’s just say you feel like shaving a bit of unnecessary time and effort off of preparing your own cocktail. That’s where Stirrings comes in.
You can get all of the classic Bloody Mary flavor without any of the hassle of putting together the recipe that Petiot described above.
So, just how easy is it to prepare a cocktail using Stirrings? I’ll show you. To start things off, we begin by prepping the garnish, which is just skewered cherry tomatoes with fresh basil, pitted black olives, and a lime wedge, which you alternate along the skewer as pictured below. Then rub a lime wedge along the rim of your glass.
Yes, a highball glass is considered standard, but honestly I prefer a goblet.
Then ‘dip’ the rim of the glass in the Stirrings Bloody Mary Rimmer, and fill the glass with ice, followed by the Stirrings Bloody Mary mixer, and then vodka, in the measurements suggested on the Stirrings Mixer. And serve.
Bloody Mary Cocktails and Mediterranean Smoked Salmon Sandwiches
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 drinks and sandwiches 1x
Ingredients
For the Classic Bloody Mary:
- 6 oz. Stirrings Bloody Mary Mixer
- Stirrings Bloody Mary Rimmer
- 2 oz. Vodka
- Ice
For the Garnish:
- Fresh Basil Leaves
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Olives
- Lime Wedges
- Celery Stalks with the leaves
For the Smoked Salmon Sandwich:
- 4 – 5 slices of smoked lox
- Fresh basil leaves – stems removed
- Shallots – sliced very thin
- Sun dried tomatoes – sliced
- Ciabatta rolls
- 8 oz. block of cream cheese
- 3 tsp. capers
Instructions
For the Classic Bloody Mary:
- Skewer the fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, olives and lime wedges alternating as you go.
- Rub the lime wedge along the rim of the glass.
- Place the glass in the Stirrings Bloody Mary Rimmer.
- Fill the glass with ice, followed by the Stirrings Bloody Mary Mixer, followed by the vodka.
- Serve with the prepared skewers.
For the Smoked Salmon Sandwich:
- Place the block of cream cheese along the capers in a food processor and give a few good chops.
Building the Sandwich:
- Place the caper and cream cheese spread on each side of the roll.
- Place 4 – 5 basil leaves on the roll, followed by thin slices of shallots, sun-dried tomato sliced thin and four to five slices of lox.
- Slice in half and serve with your favorite pickles and the Bloody Mary.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2
Yes, it’s just the easy. Stirrings comes in a variety of flavors, such as Simple Cosmopolitan, or the Simple Peach Bellini. To check out their flavors, or to order your own, check out this link.
What are some of your favorite spring and summer cocktails and recipe pairings? We would love to hear from you.
Cheers!
This message is intended for persons 21+, please drink responsibly.
DAVID J MYERS says
Catherine, Its hard to beat a combination like this! Bloody Mary’s with those great looking salmon sandwiches…Wow! Sign me up! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
Catherine Pappas says
Dear Dave, Thank you for your kind words and visiting.
angiesrecipes says
That smoked salmon sandwich looks mouthwatering!
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you Angie,
Jacquelyn Hastert says
I am seeing this pair in my very near future! This would be perfect for Sunday Funday with the girls this weekend.
Wander Women Abroad says
Yummmmm a good blood mary is always clutch. Gonna make this for brunch on Sunday
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you. I hope you enjoy it.
Candace Moczarski says
yum! I’m a huge fan of salmon. Than you for sharing this amazing combination I will try this
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you. I hope you enjoy it.
Ashlee says
I have never had a Bloody Mary, but reading your description of it and how it would go with the Salmon sandwich, has me ready to try this combo right now! Usually, I’m a wine or martini girl, but I also like to try new pairings on occasion.
Catherine Pappas says
I hope you enjoy it if you give it a try. Thank you for visiting.
Dan from Platter Talk says
I’m a huge fan of bloddys and I could eat salmon for just about every meal of the day. I’m loving this combo of two of my favorites and already dreaming about trying this over this coming weekend!
Catherine Pappas says
I hope you enjoy it if you do give it a try. Thank you for visiting.
Kim Seghers says
Everytime I see or think about a Bloody Mary I start drooling! I can’t believe I had to pull this post up now while I’m thirsty!!! Bloody Mary’s have always been my favorite cocktail of choice. Your Bloody Mary and sandwich looks AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you Kim and thank you for visiting.
Veena Azmanov says
Both the combinations go so well with each other. This is surely a party option with friends and family. Love the look of both the Sandwich and the cocktail option too.
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you Veena.
Elaine Benoit says
There is nothing that I dislike about these two recipes!! I looooove bloody Mary’s and lox is one of my favorite things to eat! Your sandwich looks scrumptious and the cocktail looks fabulous!
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you Elaine. Have a great day.
Krista says
Yes yes yes everything about this. I would NEVER have thought about making a combo out of these two things, but wow now that I think about it they sound great alone and together! Thanks for sharing!
http://www.3under3andme.com
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you Krista.
Yeah Lifestyle says
Those smoked salmon sandwiches sound absolutely divine! The Bloody Mary cocktails sound so good!
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you!
Shannon Gurnee says
I love Bloody Mary Cocktails and would love to try this recipe. Thank you for sharing this. I’m going to make it this weekend.
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you and I hope you enjoy it!
kumamonjeng says
The drinks look so refreshing and I love the color of this drink. I may try this out for our party gathering in Mayday 1 as it is our holiday here.
Catherine Pappas says
I hope you enjoy it if you give it a try.
Jackline A says
Your bloody Mary recipe looks so tasty and your photography is gorgeous
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you.
Kalyan Panja says
Thanks for sharing a glimpse of this lovely looking cocktail. Some of the photos are amazing.
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you for visiting.
Kelly Anthony says
These bloody’s are completely gorgeous! I want to get up and fix one up RIGHT NOW! That salt sounds divine on the rim too. Yum!
Katherine | Love In My Oven says
This would make for an EXCELLENT lunch. My husband loves a bloody mary, so he’d be thrilled if I whipped this up for him one day!
Aleta says
Okay, I’m pretty sure you wrote this post for my husband. He loooooves salmon sandwiches and bloody mary’s! He is going to freak out when I make him this epic combo!
Liz says
Your bloody Mary with the yummy garnish looks divine, but it’s really your smoked salmon sandwich that’s given me a huge craving!! Perfect pairing for a Mother’s Day brunch….I better start dropping some hints now 🙂
Anne Lawton says
I love a good bloody Mary! and paired with the sandwich, it is the perfect combination!
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness says
I think that bloddy mary’s are called Caesars in Canada. But whatever it is called, I will have 2 glasses please!! 🙂
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says
That sandwich tho… WOW! That looks like a perfect rainy day brunch meal for me! And the bloody mary sounds positively scrumptious!
Daniela says
Yum these bloody Mary’s and sandwiches def sound like the perfect spring brunch! Definitely inspired to get my cocktail game on after reading this! Thanks so much for sharing :).