The Best Bloody Mary

I only recently returned from my honeymoon with my newly acquired husband, Omar. We stayed at the Hotel Monaco in Seattle, WA and had a great time eating and drinking our way through the town. The first evening there we decided to head down to the in house restaurant, Sazerac , had a delightful meal and extremely great drinks.

The food was well proportioned and had excellent flavor combinations that did not infringe of the natural essences of what the dish was supposed to be. Case in point, another dining experience in Seattle: an un-named seafood joint on the pier. The most basic of dishes here were ruined by a chef trying too hard to give things his own 'flavor'. I find that this happens often in restaurants that are too impressed with themselves and have stopped caring about the food. Very often simple food is the best food.

This is a philosophy adhered to by the chefs at Sazerac. With items like braised artichoke complimented with a lemon sabayon; wood roasted manila clams served with a coriander lime butter and something as simple as their simplicity pizza topped with mozzarella basil and tomato how can they go wrong. They pair perfectly complimented flavors together and leave out the overly complicated and verbose combinations that often leave the diner yearning for a midnight meal at the local diner.

If I lived in the area, I would dine there with intense regularity. Sadly I live very far away. That first evening we chose the restaurant out of convenience and barely ate at all, enjoying our drinks most of all. I have a deeply rooted love for bloody marys and I had absolutely the finest ever, at Sazerac. We returned nearly daily to have a drink and at minimum, an appetizer, and more than once a whole meal. Once we returned home I achingly missed those wonderful Bloody Marys and after many failed attempts at replication I broke down and emailed the restaurant to beg for the recipe. Very graciously Doug Logan, the general manager, responded and shared that recipe with me and now I will share it with you. Ours are still not as good as theirs and if you are in the area I suggest that you drop in, plan to have a whole meal because you will not want to resist the smells.


Sazerac Bloody Mary


1 1/2 oz vodka
1 Teaspoon of Cajun Spice seasoning
1 Teaspoon Horseradish
1/2 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 Teaspoon Tabasco
Tomato juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker and a few ice cubes filling almost to the top with tomato juice. Shake and enjoy.

I garnished with green olives and a lime, but traditionally there should be a stalk of celery too.


I will return to Sazerac as often as my life permits me to, but in between I have a killer drink to pass the days.

If you are in Seattle over the weekend drop by Sazerac to partake of their Bloody Mary Bar with all the fixins' starting at 8 am on both Saturday and Sunday running until 2:30 each afternoon!