It’s the belle of the brunch. The hangover hero. A kick in the teeth on those occasions you’re looking to seriously spice up your beverage choice. The bloody mary has been a mainstay for cocktail lovers since it was first concocted in the early part of the 20th century. Madison’s bloody mary purveyors absolutely love to play with the form, whether it’s by garnishing with some of the most outlandish food items imaginable, curveballing the alcohol base (who says it has to be vodka?) or simply going big, bold and spicy. In other words, there’s a bloody mary out there with your name on it. Let’s go find it.
Bonfyre American Grille | Fyre and Ice Bloody Mary
Photo courtesy of Bonfyre American Grill
Focus your attention on the first word of this bloody’s clever moniker — that is, if you can ignore the gargantuan size of the Fyre and Ice Bloody Mary. It’s 32 ounces of flavor coming your way in a large mug. “People do get a little bit freaked out by the size of it,” says Bonfyre manager Alfredo Teuschler. “But it’s manageable. There’s only a couple of ounces of alcohol in there.” Maybe so, but there’s still plenty of heat in there, too. The drink’s bold flavor comes from a house-made mix we suspect contains healthy doses of garlic and habanero peppers. And that beef stick you see among the forest of celery, cheese stick, bacon, olives, mushrooms and pickles? It’s spiced, too. The Fyre and Ice is available on Bonfyre’s brunch menu, as well as for lunch and dinner. Just make sure you’ve got several chasers handy. 2601 W. Beltline Highway, 608-273-3973, bonfyregrille.net
Nitty Gritty | Brunchzilla Nitty Gritty’s brunch blesses us with four bloody marys, but only one of them is served in a massive 1-liter glass and accompanied by a veritable raft of meat. Behold the mighty Brunchzilla, a Tito’s vodka-based beverage that features among its sundry garnishes a sausage link, a slice of smoked bacon and a beef stick. And as you’ve doubtlessly noticed, there’s a miniature version of a Gritty Burger perched atop the pile, essentially giving you a full meal in (or rather flowing out of) a single glass. On top of that, it’s accompanied by a full-pint beer chaser. This bloody beast packs some serious heft — and not just because of the wild garnish party. As the name suggests, you’re only going to find it on weekends, but word is if you ask in advance and the ingredients happen to be in stock, you can rage with the ’Zilla during the week, too. 223 N. Frances St., 608-251-2521; 1021 N. Gammon Road, Middleton, 608-833-6489; 315 E. Linnerud Drive, Sun Prairie, 608-837-4999; thegritty.com
Oz by Oz | Freezer Bloody Mary This clear cocktail seems like a work of witchcraft — which, given the Wizard of Oz undercurrents at this King Street locale, makes a certain amount of cosmic sense. Oz by Oz’s Freezer Bloody Mary looks (and sounds) for all the world like a gin martini, but your first sip gives the lie to that assumption, as it tastes shockingly like a traditional bloody mary. The secret is in the spirits — a tomato-infused gin from Italy and a celery-infused gin from Amsterdam provide the flavors you’re expecting. A third, citrus-flavored gin and celery bitters add depth, and a tiny splash of Tabasco brings the heat. Oz by Oz owner Brian Bartels wrote an entire book on the bloody mary, even though he wasn’t a fan of the beverage until his 30s. He’s since embraced it with obvious verve and style, playing off the freezer cocktail trends blazed by bartenders in New York. “There are some great gins out there, more adventurous tastes with flavored botanicals,” says Bartels. “If flavored vodka can exist, why can’t you do the same thing with gin and reinvent some of these familiar drinks?” Bartels calls the tomato-infused gin a game changer, saying, “It’s the biggest factor in what makes the drink a success.” His servers, meanwhile, certainly appreciate that the drink is premade, making it an easy grab, pour and serve special, especially when Oz by Oz is packed. 113 King St., ozbyozmadison.com
Sardine | Beet Bloody Mary Some of the best bloody mary purveyors in Madtown deploy the drink as a reflection of their culinary identity, and that’s very much the case at Sardine. This cocktail gets its foundation not from its mix, but from locally distilled State Line Vodka that’s been infused with roasted and diced beets. That infusion adds a sweetness to an otherwise spicy sip, but the real secret weapon, says bar manager Kelsey Burkett, is the pickled fennel. “We use a lot of fennel in our cooking,” she says. With fresh garnishes of radishes and jalapenos, along with traditional faves like olives, miniature pickles and wedges of lemon and lime, there’s a lot going on here. “The ingredients are a fun way to punch up the tomato aspects of the drink,” says Burkett. Sardine also mixes a standard bloody, but the beet goes on for the devoted followers of this drink. When COVID-19 closed the restaurant for 14 months, customers routinely called to ask about its availability and fate. It’s back to being a staple of Sardine’s sumptuous brunch menu, but if there’s enough beet vodka left, you can get it during the week as well. 617 Williamson St., 608-441-1600, sardinemadison.com
Short Stack Eatery | 25-Ingredient Bloody Mary
Alex Lindenmeyer knows her restaurant’s award-winning bloody mary isn’t for everyone — and she’s totally OK with that. More of a meal than a cocktail, the Short Stack Bloody features a whopping 25 ingredients in addition to a healthy splash of State Line Vodka. It’s delicious in a distinctly different way. “It’s kind of like a big veggie smoothie,” says Lindenmeyer, who happily ticks off the various ingredients that make this drink — sippable only through an oversized straw — unforgettable. It’s got carrots, tomatoes, beets, jalapeno peppers, garlic, shallots, cucumber juice, mustard seed and much, much more. “We wanted to differentiate ourselves,” she explains. “The farmers who grow produce for us, we wanted to showcase that and capitalize on that.” Mission accomplished. A homemade pickle brine, apple cider vinegar and lemon juice give this bloody its distinct vinegary taste — one Short Stack regulars can’t enjoy enough. And the newbies? Staffers have been trained to offer a free taste of the mix to customers before they order. 301 W. Johnson St., 608-709-5569, shortstackeats.com
State Street Brats | The Brathaus Bloody
Photo courtesy of Food Fight Restaurant Group
Owner Keegan Meuer likens his restaurant’s “destination” bloody mary to, of all things, a plate of fajitas. Not because the two things taste even remotely similar to each other, but because of the way both tend to put customers’ heads on a swivel. “You see that plate of fajitas sizzle by you, and you want to have it,” he says. “Our bloody mary is like that, too.” It’s not difficult to see why. The Brathaus Bloody is a massive drink — a 1-liter monster served in a frosted German beer stein that requires a $20 refundable deposit to order. Inside the stein are all the things you’d expect — your choice of vodka, Tabasco sauce, steak sauce, celery salt and pepper, mixed together to create a solid and savory amount of spice. It’s what’s on top that drops jaws: traditional garnishes on a bed of mozzarella cheese whips, towered over by a full red bratwurst and bun, sliced in half and stuck on a pick inside a tall straw. It’s an Instagram-ready experience, a conversation-starter, and a shareable drink that may satisfy your entire table. Or not. Meuer estimates that, on a typical Badgers football game day, he sells close to 200 of these beasts. That’s a lot of liters. 603 State St., 608-255-5544, statestreetbrats.com
The Statehouse | Bourbon + Bacon Bloody Vodka? Who needs vodka in a bloody? As this Statehouse gem proves, bourbon whisky — specifically, smoky Bulleit bourbon — is perfectly capable of meshing with the tomato-based elements of a traditional bloody. In fact, it does more than just mesh; it shoves its way to the front, adding some sweetness and carrying much more flavor than a vodka-based bloody typically does. The drink is also eye-popping, with two sizable planks of maple-glazed bacon providing more smoky flavor and visual appeal. These crunchy, oversized strips reach above the glass rim to heights only imagined by the heartiest of celery stalks. In addition to bonus bacon sprinkles, the garnish includes some expected toppings, too — lemon, lime, pickle and olive — but frankly, the bacon is all you need. The drink was created for the annual bourbon events The Edgewater holds around the Kentucky Derby, says Melanie Gautreau, Edgewater’s director of community events and strategic initiatives. But it’s proved more than popular enough to earn a full-time slot on The Statehouse’s weekend brunch menu. This bacon bash gets overshadowed by The Statehouse’s two more traditional bloody mary options, but it really shouldn’t. It’s more than good enough to take the triple crown. 1001 Wisconsin Place, 608-535-8230, statehousemadison.com
Aaron R. Conklin is a contributing writer to Madison Magazine.
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