My rendition of a Bloody Mary, a Bloody Koré if you will, is basically a combination of all the savoury ingredients I can find in the kitchen at any one time. It’s a contentious drink for the savoury girls among us and it’s so easy to make a huge batch of the base in a jug and then have the trimmings on the side for people to personalise their own.

The base is pretty standard,

• Tomato Juice
• Vodka (Although I often drink these without!)
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Tabasco
• Salt (I used Maldon but it should be Celery)
• Pepper
• Lime Juice

However, the extras are what make this drink extra special and savoury and so incredibly moreish. It tastes a bit like a packet of crisps in drink form.

My secret ingredients

• PICKLE JUICE.
  • Jalapeño Juice
  • Gherkin Juice
  • This is self-explanatory, who doesn’t want to drink liquid pickle
• South African Braai Seasoning/ Old Bay
  • I use Braai seasoning my parent’s got on holiday for an extra smoky flavour but Old Bay works well if you want a more traditional Bloody Mary.
• Tajin
  • Similar to the Braai, this adds a smokiness as well as a bit of heat that works well as a rim if you like that.
• Olive Oil drizzle on the top
  • The richness of the oil is so nice against the tartness of the pickle and tomato juice, and when you get a bit of oil in a sip it all just works so perfectly together.
• Garnish
  • Olive
  • Jalapeño
  • Gherkin
  • Olive
  • Half dip in Tajin

The key to a good Bloody Mary is the same as the fundamentals of all cooking, best described using Samin Nosrat’s idea of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. The more balanced these things are the more delicious your drink (and your cooking more broadly) will be!

– Koré