Mocktail Bloody Mary
Tomato, lemon, horseradish, hot sauce, smoked salt rim - the brunch staple rebuilt with pickle brine standing in for the vodka. Without alcohol burn masking it, every spice registers more clearly.
The mojito is one of the few classics where the alcohol was always playing a supporting role. Mint, lime, sugar, and bubbles do the heavy lifting; the rum just rounds them out. Pull the rum and you can still build a drink that tastes like itself.
Two non-negotiables: real spearmint and crushed ice. Bottled lime, dried mint, or a glass full of cubes all turn this into mint-flavored water by sip three.
Why this works
Pickle brine handles the salt anchor that vodka usually provided.
9 ingredients
Mint, sugar, lime, NA rum, soda. All pantry-friendly.
Under 70 cal
62 calories per tall pour with 13g sugar.
Tested 28 times
Tuned across 28 batches to fix the most common home-bar failures.
The Method
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01
Salt the rim.
Rub a lemon wedge around the rim of a tall pilsner or pint glass, press into smoked salt. Fill with fresh ice.
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02
Build.
To a shaker: 4 oz thick tomato juice, 1.5 oz pickle brine (or NA vodka), 0.5 oz lemon, 0.25 oz lime, 2 dashes Worcestershire, 3 dashes hot sauce, 0.5 tsp horseradish, celery salt, pepper, smoked paprika.
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03
Shake hard.
Fill the shaker two-thirds with ice. Shake for 10 seconds. This aerates the tomato and separates a Bloody Mary from spiced juice.
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04
Strain and stack.
Strain into the salt-rimmed glass over fresh ice. Build the garnish: celery, lemon wedge, olive, pickled bean, cocktail onion on a long pick.
Pro Tips From Laura
- Use thick tomato juice (Sacramento, Knudsen, or 50/50 with V8). Thin juice makes thin Bloodys.
- For a smokier version, use 0.25 oz brine from a jar of chipotle peppers in adobo in place of one dash of hot sauce. Shifts toward Sangrita territory.
- For a vegetarian Worcestershire, substitute Bragg's Liquid Aminos or coconut aminos. Worcestershire contains anchovies.
- If it tastes like soup, dilute with a splash of soda water. If it tastes thin, add another 0.5 oz of pickle brine.
Common Questions
Can I make this without pickle brine?
Use 1 oz NA vodka and add a few drops of olive brine or caper liquid. The drink needs the salt anchor.
How spicy should it be?
Drinkable. If you cannot chase the garnish, it is too hot. Start with 2 dashes of hot sauce and add more to the glass at the end.
Can I batch this for brunch?
Yes. Mix everything except the rim and garnish in a chilled pitcher. Shake hard right before serving to re-aerate.
Why shake instead of stir?
Shaking aerates the tomato juice and gives it the foamy 'head' that distinguishes a Bloody Mary from a spiced tomato juice.