Waffles, beef jerky, deviled eggs: Over-the-top Bloody Marys trending on the SouthCoast

NEW BEDFORD — A basic Bloody Mary cocktail contains vodka, tomato juice and other spices such as Worcestershire or hot sauce. However, sticking to basics no longer fits the brunch favorite.

"People dig Bloody Marys, they are a big draw," said Sal Liotta, owner of the The Back Eddy in Westport. "People just really enjoy it."

The Westport eatery offers a Bloody Mary bar during its seasonal Sunday brunch. The counter offers 12 to 18 ingredients to choose from, such as caper berries, pickles, carrots and bacon.

Liotta said that people pick their shot of vodka and then they can refill their drink as many times as they want. "We are replenishing the bar constantly," he said.

"It's an awesome variety," said Emily Whipple of Westport, who has been a frequent visitor with her family for years. "When you're hungry, it kind of takes the edge off. It's a snack, especially with all these things in it."

Whipple, who is also the head chef at Weatherlow Farms, was enjoying a "Bloody Maria," which is a tequila base instead of vodka. "It's just something I really enjoy for brunch and love that it can be a drink and a meal."

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The Back Eddy isn't the only place serving amped up Bloody Marys. David Custadio, general manager of Merrill's on the Waterfront, said they will be starting up their bar again this month for brunches. The bar typically includes bacon, cheeses, peppered beef jerky, pickled mushrooms, banana peppers, roasted Jalapenos, sundried tomatoes, cocktail onions, artichoke hearts and shrimp.

What tops the Bloody Marys?

Swansea's The Aviary includes a skewer with shrimp, lemon, lime, pickle and deviled egg with tomatoes, cocktail onions and pepperoni in their Bloody Mary special. While restaurants in Fall River such as Pier 52 and The Cove Restaurant & Marina also offer fully loaded concoctions with shrimp, celery and bacon.

Have you tried a Bloody Mermaid?

At Quahog Republic Whaler's Tavern, their Bloody Mary is one of their favored cocktails on the menu, according to Heather Chaves, who has been behind the bar for five years.

"I make an average of five a day," she said. "And people will get them all time, like at 11 o'clock at night. And we're not a breakfast place, people just love them."

Their Bloody Mary contains a special mix that they also sell in other SouthCoast stores with their special vodka infused with sundried tomatoes, banana peppers and garlic.

People can get spicy or regular along with an olive, lemon, lime, bacon piece and a chili pepper rim. They also offer a "Bloody Mermaid" — a cross between their Bloody Mary mix, special infused vodka and mezcal.

"It tastes very smoky and spicy, and people can add a jalapeno and a spicy shrimp to it," Chaves said.

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How did the tomato juice cocktail get its name?

According to blogger The Real Dill, while the origin of the name "Bloody Mary" and its recipe are debated, its birthplace is not. The most common backstory dates back to Paris in the 1920s at Harry's New York Bar. Harry's opened in 1911, after an American jockey had a New York bar disassembled and shipped to Paris.

Ferdinand "Pete" Petiot, the bartender at Harry's, began experimenting with it in his cocktail creations. At the same time, Petiot discovered American canned tomato juice, which in the alcohol-free days of Prohibition was called a "tomato juice cocktail" on bar and restaurant menus. After countless failed vodka cocktail experiments, Petiot finally combined vodka with American canned tomato juice and seasoning, and the rest is history.

The name "Bloody Mary" has controversial beginnings. Theorists claim that tomato juice represents the blood shed during Queen Mary Tudor's bloody reign against Protestants in England in the 1500s, and the fiery vodka illustrates her wicked means of executing her enemies.

But there is another version of the origin story. An ad in the 1930s claimed the drink was named after a friend of entertainer George Jessel named Mary Geraghty.

Since its inception the Bloody Mary continues to be amped up with all different types of additions. According to Forbes.com, in downtown Chicago, there is a $40 Bloody Mary called the "The Sumo Bloody Mary," served in a 32-ounce Mason jar garnished with three strips of bacon, half a grilled cheese-and-tocino (Filipino-style grilled pork_ sandwich, a duck bao, braised pork belly, a crab sushi roll, a lumpia stick, several stalks of Chinese broccoli, pickled daikon radish, roasted potatoes and shishito peppers.

The closest Bloody Mary of this extreme seems to be served at Fall River's Italian Progressive Club (IPC) which features chicken tenders, waffle slices, bacon, fries, linguica rolls, and more during their "Over The Top" Mary's brunch on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

"You have to make brunch unique," added Liotta. "People want experiences, and the Bloody Mary can offer that."

Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at schitwood@s-t.com. Follow him on twitter: @ChitwoodReports.Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: SouthCoast restaurants offer unique ingredients in Bloody Mary