The smoothness of vodka combined with the bite of tomato juice and spices make up one of America’s most popular hangover cures: the Bloody Mary. What better way to celebrate a long night of boozing by waking up and taking down this delicious drink.
The history of the Bloody Mary is told two different ways. One story is of a bartender in New York who mixed half tomato juice and half vodka, naming it after the Bucket of Blood Club in Chicago and a girl who worked there named Mary. The other popular story says the drink is named after Bloody Mary herself, aka Queen Mary, who was famous for her persecution of Protestants.
Bloody Mary bars are popping up all over the city, so we went to Flatwater in Broad Ripple to check out one of the city’s best Bloody Mary bars that uses local ingredients to quench your thirst.
Flatwater Bloody Mary Bar
Every Sunday noon to 4, Flatwater provides a Bloody Mary Bar featuring Indiana Vodka and Hoosier Momma’sBloody Mary Maker. The bartender will mix your vodka and Bloody Mary mix together for you on ice, and then it’s up to you to add the rest!
The variety of ingredients available to use took up an entire side of the bar. At least 10 hot sauces, Olive Juice, Worcestershire, A1, Siracha, Pepper, various fresh vegetables including olives, green beans, carrots, peppercinis, pickled asparagus, stuffed olives, bacon, horseradish and seasoned mozzarella balls.
We made ours with various hot sauces, including Busha Browne’s Pukka Hot Pepper Sauce, A1 Steak Sauce, Tabasco Green Pepper Sauce, fresh ground black pepper, siracha, blue cheese crumbles, pickled green beans, fresh horseradish, carrot sticks and celery stalks. Not only were the Bloody Marys tasty, but the company was excellent. Everyone around the bar was interacting with each other, sharing stories and becoming buddies while the windows were all open so that we could enjoy a fresh summer breeze. It was the perfect setting for a Sunday brunch to kick back, relax and sip on a Bloody Mary!