Duke's Famous Bloody Bloody Mary Recipe

Roast aromatics

Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Place halved garlic cloves, quartered onion and quartered bell peppers on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil (optional) and roast 18–22 minutes until edges caramelize and vegetables are softened. Remove and cool 10 minutes.

Combine and steep

Place the cooled roasted garlic, roasted onion, roasted bell peppers, black peppercorns, lemon slices and lime slices into a clean wide-mouth jar. Pour the entire 750 ml bottle of New Amsterdam vodka over the aromatics, seal jar, gently shake, and store in a cool, dark place for 48 hours.

Strain and finish

After 48 hours, strain the vodka through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth into a clean bottle, pressing gently on solids to extract liquid but not sediment. Discard solids. Refrigerate infused vodka until ready to use (keeps at least 2 weeks chilled).

In a large pitcher, combine 1200 ml tomato juice, 4 tsp Demitri's All-Natural Bloody Mary Seasoning, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 60 ml fresh lemon juice, 30 ml fresh lime juice, 1 tsp prepared horseradish, 1 tsp hot sauce, 1 tsp ground black pepper and 1 tsp celery salt. Whisk vigorously until well blended. Taste and adjust seasoning—add additional seasoning or hot sauce to taste. Chill the mix until ready to assemble cocktails.

When ready to serve, measure infused vodka for each drink (see serving suggestion below) and refrigerate or keep over ice; shake or stir to reincorporate any settled flavor.

Prepare prawns

Pat jumbo prawns dry. Toss with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and sear prawns 1.5–2 minutes per side until opaque and just cooked through. Remove and let cool slightly.

Rim glass (optional)

Pour 2 tsp coarse salt onto a small plate. Rub a lemon wedge around the rim of each highball glass, then dip rim into coarse salt to coat.

Assemble cocktail

Fill each prepared glass with 2 cups of ice. For each 12-oz (approximate) serving, add 60 ml (2 oz) of the infused vodka and 180 ml (6 oz) of the chilled Bloody Mary mix. Stir gently to combine. Taste and adjust with extra lemon or hot sauce if desired.

Garnish

Skewer two jumbo prawns on a cocktail pick and rest across the glass rim. Add a celery stalk and a lemon wedge to each glass. Serve immediately.