Bloody Marys are not only a delicious cocktail, but they can also be whimsical. You can garnish them with just a few crudités like a stalk of celery, pickle, and olive or get creative with oysters on the half-shell and  burger sliders. You can go a little too far. The whole deep fried chicken found at Sobelman’s Pub and Grill in Milwaukee, Wisconsin just might be overkill.

I typically go a little light on the garnishes for my Bloody Marys with spicy pickled asparagus, blue cheese stuffed olives, spicy pickle spears, and maybe a slice of crispy bacon woven around some roasted Brussels sprouts. However for the last several days I have been craving a Bloody Mary with a grilled cheese sandwich. It’s like an adult grilled cheese and tomato soup.

My Bloody Mary recipe is based off of my friend Jeff Fitzgerald’s delicious recipe. This recipe makes nearly one-half gallon of Bloody Mary.

Here is what I do:

Blind Guy’s Bloody Mary

Ingredients

24 ounces Zing Zang Bloody Mary mix
24 oz tomato juice
12 oz good vodka
6 oz dill pickle juice
20 heavy shakes of Franks Red Hot Sauce (approximately 1 Tablespoon)
1 generous squirt of Sriracha (approximately 1 teaspoon)
1 Tablespoon fresh ground or prepared horseradish
Lemon wedge and celery salt to rim glasses

Directions

Mix Zing Zang, tomato juice, vodka, pickle juice, Franks Red Hot Sauce, Sriracha, and horseradish in a large pitcher capable of holding more than two quarts. Wet the rim of a glass with the lemon wedge and then dip wetted rim in celery salt. Fill glass with cubed ice and then pour in Bloody Mary. Garnish and serve.