For A Bolder Bloody Mary, Add One Savory Sauce

The bloody mary is an American classic, beloved by brunch-goers, hangover sufferers, and fans who'll enjoy the savory cocktail any time of day. It gets you going with a blend of vodka, tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, lemon juice, celery salt, and black pepper. This combination is more substantial than most cocktails, and delivers a hot sauce wake-up kick. But if you want to make a bloody mary's punch even bolder, try an unexpected addition: cocktail sauce.

The sweet, zesty sauce typically served with shrimp cocktail, oysters, and other seafood gets its potency from horseradish, a root from the mustard family that packs a strong, spicy heat. Cocktail sauce is usually made with prepared horseradish, which combines the grated root with vinegar to tame its bite, while still retaining enough heat to give the sauce its signature zip. The horseradish is then mixed with ketchup, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice to create the deep red condiment, which may also include salt, sugar, and spices.

Adding just a teaspoon of cocktail sauce to your bloody mary will provide a burst of nose-tingling heat, enhancing the peppery warmth of the hot sauce and black pepper. Some bloody mary recipes actually already include prepared horseradish, so this is a proven, delicious combination — but for even more horseradish flavor, you could infuse the vodka with it. Cocktail sauce, however, also includes sweet ketchup, which complements the tomato juice's tangy earthiness and balances the drink's more astringent elements.

Cocktail sauce could also elevate the many creative variations of the bloody mary, which often feature decadent ingredients and filling garnishes — such as bacon strips, shrimp, and cheese cubes — or swap vodka for another spirit. The bloody maria, for example, uses tequila, while the red snapper substitutes gin. The version most suited to pairing with cocktail sauce, however, is the Caesar cocktail, also known as the bloody Caesar, which includes briny clam juice for a traditional seafood-inspired match. While fresh or bottled clam juice can be used, Clamato — a blend of tomato and clam juices — is the go-to choice.

Cocktail sauce might be an even more fitting ingredient for the bloody mary and its variations than we realize, as it may have originated as a cocktail itself. In the late 19th century, Americans began enjoying raw oysters (which aren't actually safer to eat only during "R" months) with a ketchup and horseradish cocktail "sauce" that may have originally been an alcoholic drink.