DIY: Bloody Mary Kit

Updated May 20, 2022

This Bloody Mary Kit is a perfect gift for the cocktail lover in your life. It’s easy to put together and makes several tasty & unique bloody marys.

Below is what I put in my Bloody Mary kits, but you can customize yours however you please.

Bloody Mary Kit

• Black peppercorn infused vodka
• Garlic & fennel infused vodka
• Smoked paprika infused vodka
• Horseradish infused vodka
• Salt rimming mixture
• Bloody Mary mix
• Homemade pickles
• Other additions: olives, skewers, hot sauce, lemons, or limes

Infused Vodkas

I like to make the infused vodkas a pint at a time so there some left over for more bloody mary kits or personal enjoyment, but you can easily scale these recipes up or down based on how much flavored vodka you want to end up with. Infused vodkas are shelf stable and will keep indefinitely.

Use good quality vodka, spices, and herbs. The vodka certainly doesn’t have to be top shelf, but you don’t want to buy the cheapest stuff at the liquor store either.

Black Peppercorn Infused Vodka

• 1 pint vodka
• 2 Tablespoons black peppercorns

Garlic & Fennel Infused Vodka 

• 1 pint vodka
• 2-4 roughly chopped garlic cloves (this will depend on the size of the cloves and how much you like garlic)
• 1 Tablespoon fennel seed

Smoked Paprika Infused Vodka 

• 1 pint vodka
• 2 Tablespoons smoked paprika

Horseradish Infused Vodka 

• 1 pint vodka
• 1 Tablespoon of roughly chopped horseradish root

Directions: 

You will need one glass jar with a lid for each flavor of vodka you are infusing. For each flavor, add the herbs & spices to their separate jars and cover with vodka. Cap tightly and shake well. Label each jar. It helps to include the date on your label so you know how long your vodkas have been infusing.

Shake the jars daily, if you remember. After a week, taste each of your vodkas to test how the flavor is developing. If your vodka isn’t as flavorful as you’d like it to be, re-cap your infusion and let it go longer. Shake and taste it daily for up to a month until it tastes how you want it to. When the flavor is where you want it, strain out your herbs and re-bottle the infused vodka. When I give infused liquors as gifts, I like to put them in these pretty cork top bottles. As a finishing touch, label your vodkas.

Salt Rimming Mixture

A rimmed glass adds a little extra pizzaz to any cocktail. The herbs and spices in this mixture are well-suited to a bloody mary and are a tasty addition to the average salt rim. The below recipe makes roughly 1/4 cup of salt rimming mixture and can easily be scaled up or down depending on how much you want to end up with.

Ingredients: 

• 1/8 cup fine sea salt
• 2 tsp lemon pepper (or you can substitute 1 tsp ground black pepper — it won’t have the same flavor as the lemon pepper, but will work fine if that’s what you have on hand)
• 1/2 Tbsp celery seed
• 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika

Directions: 

Powder celery seeds in a blender or in a spice grinder. A coffee grinder works great for powdering spices, but be sure to use one that has not been used to grind coffee beans as it will make your spices taste & smell like coffee, even if it’s clean. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Store in a labeled glass jar. If desired, add the below directions to your label.

To rim your glass when making a bloody mary, moisten the rim of the glass with a lemon or lime slice. Pour a small amount of salt rimming mixture onto a plate and dip the rim of the glass into the salt blend, twirling the glass to coat the rim.

Bloody Mary Mix

If you’re particularly ambitious, you can make your own bloody mary mix. Below are a few recipes to get you started:

• Spicy Basil Bloody Mary Mix from Food 52
• Tomatillo Bloody Mary Mix from Garden & Gun

If you don’t have the time to make your own mix, there are many options for bottled mixes available. Do take a peek at the ingredients list before buying as many pre-bottled bloody mary mixes are highly processed and can have some weird ingredients. Also, many mixes contain worcestershire sauce, which is made with anchovies, so this will be something to keep an eye out for if you have fish allergies or don’t want to eat fish.

Garnishes

There are endless ways to garnish a bloody mary. Pickles are a classic and tasty choice and still allow lots of room for creativity. I love making plenty of assorted pickled veggies when they are in season so I have extra cans to give away. Below are just a few ideas for veggies that can be pickled:

• Cucumbers
• Asparagus
• Beets
• Summer squash
• Zucchini
• Kohlrabi
• Radishes
• Carrots
• Spicy peppers

If you’re in need of some pickling guidance, Canning for a New Generation by Liana Krissoff has many unique and delicious pickle recipes that are really simple to follow.

Refrigerator pickles are also a good option if you want homemade pickles, but don’t want to go through the hassle of canning. Try this recipe for quick & easy refrigerator pickles from Feasting at Home.

Other garnishes include, but are absolutely not limited to:

• Olives – plain or stuffed with garlic, peppers, or cheese
• Sprigs of fresh herbs – basil, parsley, or rosemary
• Sliced lemon or lime
• Fresh veggies – celery, baby carrots, sugar snap peas, sliced radishes, zucchini spears, sweet peppers, cherry tomatoes, or cauliflower
• Capers

Once you have gathered all of the components of your bloody mary kit, arrange everything in a small basket or box. Add a small card with instructions if desired. Your handcrafted bloody mary kit is finished. Cheers!