Garden & Gun (February/March 2014)
Feb. 1. 6:40 p.m.
Cocktail #2
Feeling: Relaxed
Our friends Drew and Ralph love Bloody Marys more than anybody else we know. So we were excited to see what they think about this Redless Snapper, which is essentially a happy-hour version of a Bloody. (We're already familiar with a Red Snapper, which is a gin-based variation of the classic brunchy Bloody. This Redless Snapper, created by Raleigh, N.C., mixologist Kevin Barrett, takes things even a step further by subbing in tomato water for the tomato juice.)
Everybody, including Drew and Ralph, really loves the Redless Snapper. Thanks to the gin and the flavor-infused tomato water, it's bright and clean and bracing in exactly the way a Bloody Mary isn't.
Two cocktails in, everyone's getting chatty...
Redless Snapper
Garden & Gun (February/March 2014)
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(This photo: Stacey Van Berkel/Garden & Gun)
Ingredients
Lemon or lime wedges
Old Bay seasoning
1½ –2 oz. Cardinal gin
Tomato water (see recipe)
2 dashes celery salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2–4 dashes hot sauce
1–2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Preparation
Run a lemon or lime wedge around the rim of a pint glass.
Roll the outside rim in Old Bay. Next, fill the glass with ice, pour in gin, and top off with tomato water. Add celery salt, pepper, hot sauce, and Worcestershire. Roll from one glass into another and back to mix, and garnish as desired.
Tomato Water
Ingredients
6 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and diced
3 tsp. fresh lime juice
½ green or red pepper
½ small garlic clove
1–2 tsp. fresh horseradish
1 jalapeño (optional)
Salt and pepper
Preparation
Place all ingredients except salt and pepper in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a saucepan over medium heat. When puree turns from pink to dark red, remove from heat. Ladle liquid through a strainer lined with a thin cloth or several layers of cheesecloth into a heatproof bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Store liquid in refrigerator or freezer until ready to use. Yields about 6 drinks.
Optional Garnishes
Lemon and lime wedges
California olives
Pickled okra
Pickled green bean
Pickled carrot
Pickled garlic
Cornichon
Celery stalk
