A Bloody Good Bloody Mary

There’s a few reasons I’ve dedicated this post to the Bloody Mary:

1. USF has its Homecoming game this Saturday and it’s at noon. That means tailgating starts around 8 a.m. That means it’s Bloody Mary time. And that means it’s going to be a gooooooooood game.
2. It’s almost Halloween, and ‘Bloody’ Mary seems exceptionally relevant.
3. I had a kick-ass Bloody Mary in Chicago, and I can’t stop thinking about it. Like, seriously cannot stop.
4. Lastly, it’s a freaking Bloody Mary, people. Need I say more?

Going back to #3 – ManFiance, my good friend and college roommate, Booger, and her fiance met up for brunch. We were all in Chicago for the weekend, and we figured it was time to see what this city was all about. I did some initial research on all the hot food spots we needed to visit, and Bongo Room was one of them. While we were walking there, we passed Eleven City Diner – it was packed. We decided we’d go there the next day, and onto Bongo Room we went. Well unfortunately when we got there, we learned they did not serve alcohol. Ehem. This did not bode well with the crowd I was with. Plus, it was after a night of partying, so we were in dire need of an adult beverage to get us back to where we needed to be (mentally and physically).

So, we retraced our steps back to Eleven. God must have been smiling down on us that day, because that was the best decision we had made. (we did eventually go back to the Bongo Room on the last day of our vacation – amazing french toast athank you!)

As you can see, we were very happy. Their Bloody Marys were huge, homemade and spicy. And it’s garnish? Oh, just some cheese and salami. LOVE.

It was pretty much a meal. After 2 of those bad boys, we were ready to take on the town. But of course, I had to stop to check out the candy bar. Yes, liquor and candy. I was the happiest girl ever!

Don’t worry, I was just window shopping. After all, that was the weekend we got engaged (in case you missed it, here’s Part I, II, and III), so now Project Wedding Diet is officially on.

Which brings me back to the Bloody Mary. You can’t get more healthy than that – tomato juice and celery?! That’s nothing, I tell ya! That may very well be my diet for the entire engagement. Don’t judge me…

Until I find a good homemade recipe (or at least one that’s as half as good as that one), I’ll stick to what I know – a homemade Bloody Mary bar (of pre-mixed goodness). Add some horseradish, worcestershire, hot sauce, pepper and good vodka – and you’re good.

Bloody good.