Make a Better Bloody Mary with Vegetable Scraps

Most bloody marys are thick and soupy, which is the opposite of refreshing. For a lighter, brighter take on the iconic brunch cocktail, editorial director J.M. Hirsch eschews the gazpacho-like mix in favor of a bloody mary martini. Even better: He uses vegetable scraps like scallion remnants and tomato skins to make it.

Pulsing the scraps in a blender with vodka and letting them steep extracts a beautiful fresh flavor, without the soup-ish mouthfeel you get from the classic bloody. It’s still savory, but far more sippable, with a brightening squeeze of lemon and fiery dash of Tabasco. Garnish with your favorite accoutrements, but olives (preferably jalapeño-stuffed) are a must. This is a martini, after all.

Bloody Mary Martini

• 3 ounces vodka
• ½ cup tomato scraps (about ½ a medium tomato)
• ¼ cup scallion scraps, roughly chopped

• ½ ounces dry vermouth
• ½ ounces agave or simple syrup
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• Dash Tabasco sauce
• 5 to 10 granules kosher salt
• Ice cubes
• Green olives, preferably jalapeño-stuffed, to garnish

In a blender, combine the vodka, tomatoes and scallions. Pulse until well chopped, but not pureed. Let sit two minutes. Strain through a mesh strainer lined with cheese cloth into a stirring glass, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard the solids. Add the vermouth, syrup, lemon juice, Tabasco and salt; stir with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with olives on a cocktail skewer.

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Claire Lower

Claire Lower is the Digital Editor for Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street, with over a decade of experience as a food writer and recipe developer. Claire began writing about food (and drinks) during the blogging boom in the late 2000s, eventually leaving her job as a lab technician to pursue writing full-time. After freelancing for publications such as Serious Eats, Yahoo Food, xoJane and Cherry Bombe Magazine, she eventually landed at Lifehacker, where she served as the Senior Food Editor for nearly eight years. Claire lives in Portland, Oregon with a very friendly dog and very mean cat. When not in the kitchen (or at her laptop), you can find her deadlifting at the gym, fly fishing or trying to master figure drawing at her local art studio.