Mocktail Monday: The Virgin Mary

I see all these posts in blogland about new cocktail recipes and I always think, "that's great and all, but what's in it for me?" That's because I'm a Mormon, remember? I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints seven years ago (when I was 27). I still enjoy a fun beverage when I go out to dinner just as much as the next person, but who says a fun beverage has to include alcohol? 

There's nothing worse than going to a party and finding nothing to drink except the one bottle of Coke that's supposed to be the mixer for everybody else. Just because I don't drink alcohol doesn't mean I only drink water. 

So I'm starting a new series of posts are for my teetotaler friends who want more than water at the end of the day. I'm more a fan of savory things than sweet things, so finding a good mocktail is hard because they are usually a mix of fruit juices. Sometimes that's fine, but not all the time. 

This week is the classic nonalcoholic savory beverage -- the Virgin Mary. I like to get a Virgin Mary from the bar at a restaurant when we have a long wait because it's heavy enough to practically be an appetizer. Plus there's always treats in them like celery and olives, and sometimes a pickle.

I got the mocktail recipe book several years ago but have never really tried anything in it. I've made many Virgin Maries (sp?) without following a recipe, but I thought I'd give this one a try. The ingredients are:

Ingredients:

Ice cubes

1 can tomato juice

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (I didn't have the real thing so I used the bottled kind)

2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce

2 drops of Tabasco sauce

Pinch of celery salt

Salt and pepper, to taste

Celery stalk

It is worth noting that I do not like bloody mary mixes. 

They are waaaaayyyyyy too heavy. 

Instructions:

Place a scoop of ice cubes in a cocktail shaker, then add all the ingredients, except for the celery stalk, and shake well. Strain into a lowball glass and use the celery stalk as a stirrer.

This drink was good, pretty much what I'm used to, but I usually use lime juice instead of lemon juice, and I think I might like that more, it's hard to say. I doubled the Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce, and put in a lot of celery salt, salt, and pepper because I couldn't really taste them in my drink. I also love a salted rim, so I wet a napkin with lemon juice and rolled my rim into some salt. Yum.

All in all, a success. I gave Scarlett a sip and she cried.
She practically drinks salsa so I was a little surprised. 

Cheers!