Bartending 101: Big Mary! How to Make Big, Juicy Batches of Bloody Mary.

Bartending 101: Big Mary! How to Make Big, Juicy Batches of Bloody Mary.

Everybody’s got time for brunch, but nobody’s got time to make individual cocktail after cocktail. After all, the more time you spend making ‘em, the less time you spend enjoying the fruits of your labor. (Tomatoes are indeed a fruit.) 

Whether you’re on drinks duty at a besties’ brunch or you’re a bartender trying to work smarter, not harder, batch-making Bloody Marys makes your life infinitely easier and better—duh, you end up with more Bloodys. Everyone who’s into more Bloodys with less effort, keep on reading. (When you’re riding solo, Demitri’s single-serve pouches are your BFF.)

The need to knows

Making Bloody Marys in large batches means making one jumbo, mega, humongous, supersized Bloody Mary. You’ll need the regular standbys: Demitri’s Bloody Mary Seasoning, tomato juice, quality vodka, Demitri’s Rimshot, and garnishes (and plenty of them). 

We all know that more of a bad thing doesn’t cancel out the badness and make it good (hello, math, our old frenemy). You need to use quality, gourmet ingredients if you want a quality, gourmet Bloody Marys. And you do want that, don’t you? Dig out the biggest pitcher you have and grab a mixing spoon and glasses—let’s make a lot of Bloodys.

If you’re a bartender, you probably already have some tricks up your sleeve for making large batches of drinks (or do you keep those secrets in your apron?). But did you know that bar owners or managers can apply for a wholesale account? Your bar’s Bloody Marys are about to get a whole lot better.


The how-to

When you’re making a big batch, we recommend staying classic with the base and letting everyone dress it up to their liking. If someone wants more heat, they can add an extra dash of Chilies & Peppers. If someone else needs to tone it down, more tomato juice can balance out the zest.

Here’s how to make a batch for eight people… if you naively assume everyone will only want one! If you’ve got a group of 16, double it (and also invite us because your crew sounds funnn). For four people, halve it. You get the gist.

Recipe
Serves eight

Limes, cut into wedges
Demitri’s Original Rimshot
24-32 ounces tomato juice
8-16 teaspoons Demitri’s Classic Bloody Mary Seasoning. Pro tip: Get the 64 ounce jug. Another one: Divide the number of teaspoons by six to convert to ounces.
16 ounces quality vodka
Ice

  1. Moisten one half of the rim of all your glasses with a lime wedge, then press each into a saucer of Demitri’s Rimshot. Half-rims or “smiles” that go down the side of the glass are nice because someone can get a sip with, or without salt in their sip.
  2. Combine Demitri’s Bloody Mary Seasoning with tomato juice, vodka, and ice in a large pitcher. Use a spoon to gently combine all the ingredients.
  3. Pour a serving into each glass.
  4. Let your friends choose their own adventure for garnishes.
  5. Squeeze lime on top and enjoy.

The finishing touches

The best garnish station is a smorgasbord—literally, “a table of open sandwiches” and, figuratively, a spread of all things yummy. Hey, no one’s ever been disappointed by a table of sammies…

Here are some of our favorites:

What we’ve learned

Good things come in small packages. But not Bloody Marys. Those come in BIG pitchers ready to share. If you’re the hostess with the mostest or a busy bartender, making batches of Bloody Marys is the move. We can almost guarantee you won’t have leftovers.