sunday afternoon part II

I admit, I love brunch. I know, it’s so contrived. But really, nothing beats a yummy meal with your friends on a nice New York Sunday afternoon over bloody maries (marys? mary’s?) Alright, I love brunch because I LOVE bloody maries-marys-mary’s.

A great bloody mary is probably the best cocktail out there. It’s all at once tart, spicy, salty, sweet (kind of like Thai food now I think about it). But a great bloody is more rare than Michael Jackson on a real date. Bloodies should be chock full of horse radish, Tabasco, and black pepper without being thick and mealy. The tomato juice should be tart and salty with a slight hint of the fruit’s (yes, it’s a fruit) natural sweetness, but not cloying sweet (*cough* Pastis/Schiller’s *cough*). There should be some sort of solid chewables accompanying the drink. I’ve tried everything from the tried and true celery stalk to the more adventurous shrimp. But my all time favorite is probably pickled veggies. The sour and salt brine goes so nicely with the tart and spicy cocktail.

Jane serves up a great bloody with their great brunch. It’s spicy, not too thick, tart and garnished with pickled tomatoes, olives, and the requisite celery stalk. The vodka is smooth and leaves no alcohol-fumed aftertaste. The bloody is incredibly addicting and free with brunch! Prune offers an extensive list of bloody variations for brunch. Though the flavor is not as smooth and well blended as Jane, Prune’s bloodies are still delicious and get points for originality. My personal favorite is the Chicago Boxcar – a classic bloody garnished with various pickled lovelies, from radish to green beans to brussel sprouts, rounded off with a shot of beer. YUM!

Being slightly tipsy (okay, drunk) by 3:30 on a Sunday afternoon is so deliciously wicked. Being drunk because of bloodies, that’s just delicious.