How to Roll a Bloody Mary

You just got scheduled to work a weekend opening shift and your bar offers food.  Well you better be able to put out a properly made Bloody Mary because the guests showing up will be ordering them.  We need to cover the proper technique for mixing a Bloody Mary.  Most places have premade batches of the tomato-based mix already stocked and any garnishes the bar staff will need.  All you have to do is add vodka and roll it all together properly.  Here is how to do that.

Dale DeGroff is an authority on rolling, sometimes called rocking, a Bloody Mary.  He discusses this technique in his book The Craft of the Cocktail which you can purchase here.  He states:

‘Rolling is pouring the drink back and forth between two shaker glasses.  Shaking drinks containing tomato juice vigorously creates an unpleasant foamy consistency.’

How this usually plays out is that all necessary ingredients are poured into a pint glass which is filled two thirds of the way with ice.  Now pour the contents into the large metal tin of a Boston Shaker before pouring it all back into the glass.  Repeat this process four times before straining the contents into the ice-filled glass you’ll serve it in.  Check out what this looks like here:

Your bar should specify how they want their Bloody Mary to be garnished.  If they don’t then grab a stiff piece of celery and place it into the drink along with a lemon wedge on the rim.  Skewer three olives and place them along the lip of the glass.  Drop in a straw and you’re all set to serve this staple of the brunching crowd.

Now go forth and crush those boozy brunches.