I recently shared about how when I was pregnant with my third child, I was obsessed with drinking Virgin Bloody Marys (Maries? That doesn’t seem right. How does one make this plural?) I was flying very frequently and would always ask for Bloody Mary mix on the airplane. The whole can because a) I was pregnant and as much as I tried to keep my emotions in check, it didn’t take much to make me cry, and b) who else is going to drink half a can of Bloody Mary mix? I propose no one. I would make them at home. I couldn’t even talk about them without my mouth watering. It was the single most pervasive, intense pregnancy craving I have ever had–never brownies, never cookies, often salt and vinegar Kettle Chips. But there was nothing like the Bloody Mary.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Bloody Mary, it’s basically a supercharged tomato juice. Think Spicy V8, a little less spicy, a lot more multidimensional flavor, plus fewer of those bitter notes. It has a lot of weird stuff in it, stuff that makes you wonder who came up with this, stuff that, when I was a teenager came across a recipe for it in my Teen Works binder, I thought, “Who would DRINK this?!” 
Little did I know that 20 years later, *I* would drink it. Obsessively.
You’re going to need tomato juice, freshly squeezed lemon juice, freshly squeezed lime juice, and dill pickle juice. You heard me. Dill pickle juice. Just come along for the ride.
Whisk them together in a serving pitcher. Then you’re going to need prepared horseradish. The hard stuff. Not that namby pamby horseradish spread or topping or dressing–if it has mayonnaise or eggs in it, that is not what you want. You want grated horseradish roots. Water. Maybe a few other ingredients that make it stable. The stuff that grows hair on your chest. You’ll also need Tabasco sauce and Worcestershire Sauce.
Whisk those into the tomato juice mixture. Next, you’ll need your spices–garlic powder, celery salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
Add those to the mixture. Whisk it all up so it’s well-combined, then pop it into your fridge for at least two hours, up to 8-10 hours. When you’re ready to serve, dip the serving glasses in a little water, then dip them into a tub of margarita salt. Carefully add ice cubes, then pour the mixture over the ice. Serve with a stalk of celery, asparagus, and/or a few lime wedges.
Virgin Bloody Mary
Description
Tangy, savory, and spicy, this Bloody Mary recipe will take care of any salty cravings!
Ingredients
- 6 cups tomato juice
- 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish (NOT horseradish sauce or dressing–if it has eggs or mayonnaise in it, that’s not what you’re looking for)
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons celery salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly coarse ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup dill pickle juice
Instructions
- Whisk ingredients together in a serving pitcher and chill for at least 2 hours or up to overnight. Serve over ice in salt-rimmed glasses with a stalk of celery, asparagus, or a lime wedge or two.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
Questions & Reviews
While we’re excited for our surprise pregnancy, I’m def missing my weekend brunch drinks! This recipe is soo delicious and hits the spot!! Will def be enjoying this the rest of my pregnancy and then keeping it for adding vodka back at weekend brunches after! Lol!
Oh and we garnished with garlic/jalapeño stuffed olives and dill pickles! Yum!
I absolutely love Bloody Mary’s they’re my go to drink, and since becoming pregnant all I drink besides water and tea is V8 juice, and it hasn’t dawned on me to make a virgin bloody Mary, since I stopped drinking alcohol about a year before I got pregnant. However my Aunt came over and was like why don’t you make a bloody Mary so here I am reading this post and drinking one, thank you so much. I knew the basics of what was in it but I wanted a more solid up my alley kind of Bloody Mary and you nailed it.
❤️❤️Congratulations on your pregnancy!!
This sounds scrumptious. Do you think it would freeze well?
I’m sure it would! 🙂
You could also put a few Spanish olives (the green, pimento-stuffed ones) on as a garnish!
I have been a bartender for a very long time (more than half my life) and haven’t been able to perfect a good Bloody mixture. I think I’ll have to give this a shot this weekend.
Oh and as a little side tip – the salt will stick better to the rim of the glass if you rim it with a fresh cut lime instead of water…plus it doesn’t dissolve as quickly.
Thanks for all the amazing recipes!!! 🙂
This is chilling in my fridge right now!
As a non-drinker, honestly I thought this looked pretty weird at first, but then I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I bought all of the ingredients and made it last night. (I should mention I’m pregnant. I didn’t know it was possible to crave something you’ve never had before, haha.) Mmm-mm! This drink hits the spot. As a bonus, if you have a cold like I do now, it’ll clear your sinuses. 🙂
This should be the official beverage of pregnant women everywhere, hahaha! I’m so glad you loved it!
Me too! I’ve always liked it (Every plane ride!) but when I’m pregnant I could kill for it. Kindred Spirits. ?
Literally made one and then found this whole discussion on how this is a huge pregnancy craving ! So yummy
Oh My Goodness how delicious does this sound!!
I am sharing AND keeping this post. Yummy !!!
And, drool xD
Marys gets my vote as it’s a proper noun, so no y->ie when pluralising.
My guess as well! I’m glad you weighed in! 🙂
I had a craving for this too when I was expecting! I wish I had this recipe then!
My husband was seriously just talking about a virgin bloody Mary yesterday! We don’t drink alcohol but we have several friends who do and they had gotten together last weekend and made a whole bunch and told my husband that he needed to come next time and they would make him a virgin one. Tomato juice is his favorite thing and he gets it every time we take a plane ride so I am sure that he would love these! Thanks for the recipe!
I always get Mary mix on airplanes, too! I’m the person who drank your other half!
Growing up we grew tomatoes and my mom canned tomato juice every summer. She made it with spices and celery juice and horseradish that we grew, and it was so like Mary mix, I drank it all winter. I guess that’s where I got my love of it from! I will make this and toast you AND my mom!
Made my mouth water just reading this!