Projo Football Food & Spirits

Spicy Bloody Mary Balls

Cherry tomatoes
Vodka (use a good brand)
Celery salt, Old Bay, Cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, in small bowls
Toothpicks

Blanch the tomatoes by dropping them into boiling water until the skin puckers. Remove the tomatoes and pull the skin off. Allow them to cool.
Soak the tomatoes in vodka overnight.

At the Tailgate:
Put your spices into small bowls.
Spear a tomato with a toothpick, roll into the spices of your choice, and pop it into your mouth.

Alternatively, you can season the vodka prior to soaking the tomatoes, then provide some Old Bay for dipping.

From johnnyroadtrip

Ole Miss Tailgate Bloody Marys
Knoxnews.com in Knoxville, Tenn., asked readers for their gameday recipes.

Bill Cox, Collierville, sent in a drink recipe that he routinely serves during University of Mississippi games:

1 (32-ounce) can tomato juice
2 (12-ounce) cans V-8 juice
2 (7-ounce) cans frozen lemon juice (he prefers Minute Maid)
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Louisiana hot sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco
2 tablespoons ketchup (he prefers Heinz)
1/2 liter vodka of choice
2 tablespoons black pepper

Blend and serve.

Bloody Mary Martinis
This version uses fresh tomatoes, and requires you to plan ahead -- the herbs and peppercorns go into a pint (a 1/2-liter) bottle of vodka. The recipe only calls for two oz., so you could multiply this recipe by eight for a crowd, or have some very interesting vodka drinks another day.

1 medium-sized piece fresh horseradish, peeled and julienned
20 black peppercorns
1 pint vodka (there will be leftover vodka)
5 cups chopped ripe tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
4 celery stalks

Place horseradish and peppercorns in vodka bottle; seal; chill at least 24 hours. Purée tomatoes; drain with fine-mesh sieve; discard pulp. Add celery salt. Fill a shaker with ice; add 2 oz vodka (not peppercorns or horseradish), 1 oz tomato puree; shake. Strain into martini glass. Garnish with celery stalk.

Serves 4.

A review at Epicurious offers a last-minute version: "Exceptional! To be fast, I used Grey Goose Vodka and tomato juice, and added in seasonings for a bloody mary in the glass- a new summer favorite! I am sure the original would have more depth of flavor, but this is a tasty shortcut."

-- Chef Neal Fraser at Grace Restaurant in Los Angeles.Self Magazine, July 2006, via Epicurious

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