Had a bloody good NYE? Help your hangover with Sydney’s best Bloody Marys
Move over margs, it's bloody good Bloody Marys winning over the Sydney brunch crowd this summer.
With additions such as olive and anchovy gildas, spritzes of house-made lovage vodka and all manner of pickling and fermentation techniques, bartenders have transformed a divisive classic into the hangover cocktail-of-choice.
One-hatted Newtown restaurant Odd Culture began serving the Odd Cultured Bloody Mary and Bloody Mary oysters using two-week lacto-fermented tomatoes and red miso as part of their bottomless brunch menu in October.
Group beverage manager Jordan Blackman says it's a "bit of a wake-up call" for a dusty Sunday morning.
"It looks somewhat nutritious at the table before 12pm; praise be to the celery stick," he says.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, fluids and nutrients found in tomato juice may help recovery from a hangover, while drinking alcohol after a big night may ease or delay symptoms but is unlikely to resolve them.
At Otis (formerly Golden Gully) in Leichhardt, Bloody Marys with truffled cheese toasties are the go-to Sunday special.
"The Bloody Mary is perfect for hangovers because it pairs the 'hair of the dog that bit you' with a salty, savoury beverage to replenish electrolytes and [amino] acids you may be lacking," says co-owner Conor O'Brien.
Otis uses mesquite, guindilla brine, red wine and Tajin (chilli and lime) salt to create a smokier, punchier Bloody Mary.
At one-hatted restaurant Rising Sun Workshop in Newtown, Bloody Marys become a "funky, spicy, flavour explosion" with house-made kimchi juice and furikake.
"Bloody Marys are more popular over the summer but with a little nudge back into the spotlight, they should be an all-year-round cocktail that everyone enjoys," says restaurant manager Bec Shave.
Get your Sunday started with 10 bloody good Bloody Marys in Sydney
$13
This American-style diner attracts a strong brunch crowd with its all-day breakfast menu. Co-owner Elise Honeybrook says their Bloody Mary (which has "an added kick of jalapeno brine") is the "perfect companion to any of the breakfast sandwiches, as the spicy and savoury flavours help to balance out the richness of these dishes".
$25
For New Year's Day only, BrewDog's massive Sydney brewery will be serving loaded Bloody Marys, each garnished with a buttermilk fried chicken slider. "A heavy kick of spice and the healthy tomato juice sets up an easier day of recovery," says venue manager Ryan Adams.
Continental Deli, Newtown and CBD
The Bloody Mary mix is juiced fresh each Saturday and Sunday (and the first week of 2023) at Newtown and CBD restaurant Continental Deli, where the traditional recipe is amped up with a medley of fruit and vegetables (including carrot, red bullhorn peppers, celery, apples and limes, to name a few). Topped off with an anchovy and olive gilda, it's almost an entire meal in itself.
$17
French bistro Porcine in Paddington puts a sophisticated twist on the classic Bloody Mary by spritzing the ice-cold cocktail glass with house-made lovage vodka, a plant with a similar flavour to celery. Garnished with a skewer of Gordal olive and Guindilla pepper and freshly cracked pepper, it's "bloody delicious" says co-owner Matt Fitzgerald.
Rising Sun Workshop, Newtown
$20
The combination of Rising Sun Workshop's Japanese-inspired Bloody Mary and breakfast ramen (with buttered toast bone broth, bacon, egg and tomato) "combats hangovers like no other", says restaurant manager Bec Shave. "They are a great boozy pick me up and are packed full of flavour."
Otis, Leichhardt
$20
This sunny neighbourhood bar serves up a bargain with their signature Bloody Mary and truffled cheese toastie for $20 every Sunday. Co-owner Conor O'Brien says it's the perfect pairing given the "savoury acidity of the Bloody Mary cuts through the richness of the toastie … an oily, carby meal [is a] famously good option for curing hangovers," he says.
Odd Culture, Newtown
$22
Tomatoes are fermented on skins for two weeks before being pureed into Odd Culture's Bloody Mary mix. But it's not a proper Bloody Mary without edible garnishes, says group beverage manager Jordan Blackman. "We prefer ours [garnished] with an anchovy and yellow tomato because salt is delicious and acidity is key," he says.
$22
The Bloody Mary gets bougie at The Charles Bar brunch, where it can be served alongside duck eggs, toasted brioche soldiers and caviar. Director of beverages Jonothan Carr says the addition of Spanish fino sherry adds salinity and complexity to the cocktail. It's served with a miniature Tabasco bottle "so guests can make it as spicy as they choose".
Hive Bar, Erskineville
$10
Vegans are catered for with The Hive's Bloody Mary, which uses a housemade plant-based Worcestershire sauce the kitchen has been perfecting since 2009. It's mixed with olive brine, red wine, spices, mustards and "a long list of oh-so-secret additions" to create "a spicy, savoury hit to perk you right back up", says co-owner Nicola Vircoe. For $3 you can add a jalapeno popper with almond-based feta.
The Bloody Marie has a French twist at one-hatted Milsons Point restaurant Loulou Bistro. Traditional ingredients, such as a house-made Bloody Mary mix and citrus, are mixed with a bitter gentian liqueur. "It's a classic French pre-dinner sipper made with gential root, cut grass and bitter sweet flavours," explains group beverage manager Jonothan Carr, who suggests pairing it with fresh baked bread and butter from the boulangerie next door.
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Bianca Hrovat – Bianca is Good Food's Sydney-based reporter.