CANNING: Homemade Bloody Mary Mix
- Mixing & Serving Ideas
- How to Stock a Bloody Mary Bar
- Homemade Bloody Mary Mix Ingredients
- Kitchen Equipment Needed
- How to Can Bloody Mary Mix
- Pantry and Storage Tips
- Homemade Bloody Mary Mix (Water-Bath Canning Recipe)
This homemade Bloody Mary mix recipe is perfectly spiced, and ready to pour over ice and add your favorite spirits and garnishes. This is adapted from a tested Ball recipe, and safe to water-bath can in pint jars.
You can also just mix up and chill a big batch of this, to serve a crowd at your next brunch gathering, tail-gate party, or backyard BBQ. You can mix up full pitchers or a punch-bowl of pre-mixed drinks, or set out a Bloody Mary bar and let your guests customize their drinks.
But you’ll definitely want to can at least a batch or two of this zesty Bloody Mary mix after you’ve tried it. With jars of this seasoned tomato juice blend in your pantry, you’ll be brunch-ready whenever company shows up!
It’s also handy for those weekends where you want a little hair-of-the-dog from an overindulgent night out (no mixing required, almost instant cocktail, just add alcohol!). Or, you can just enjoy it chilled as a non-alcoholic drink for a quick breakfast, or afternoon veggie-powered pick-me-up.
Mixing & Serving Ideas
Pop open a jar of this Bloody Mary mix, then just add ice, alcohol (optional, of course…) and stir or shake it up!
I’m partial to either a classic vodka bloody or one with homemade aquavit for a twist… or try it with tequila for a bloody margarita? Make it a michelada with a cold, crisp Mexican lager? You do you, babes. If you or your guests like non-alcoholic spirits, it’s nice to offer these as well, although the mix is pretty tasty just chilled and garnished!
You can chill these and put them out on your brunch buffet table with a selection of fixin’s, an ice bucket, and some cold tall glasses, and let your guests customize their cocktails. A full serving of veggies in every glass… cheers!
How to Stock a Bloody Mary Bar
Pick a few of these suggested garnishes & pairings for a basic Bloody Mary bar, or go all-out and get wild with a ton of garnishes if this is the main event for your brunch party!
- long bamboo skewers or metal skewers, or cocktail picks
- For safety, ideally these should have only one sharp end, so you don’t have a pointy end in your face, though it does mean you have to take the skewer out of the drink to eat the garnishes from the bottom up, or from the side, which could be a fun party game, I guess?
- 8-10″ is a good size to fit in a pint glass with room to stack garnishes, without tipping over!
- celery heart spears (in a glass of ice water to keep them crisp)
- baby dill pickles, gherkins, or cornichons
- long dill pickle spears
- green and/or black olives
- cocktail onions
- cubes of cheddar, swiss, or other block cheeses
- thinly sliced salami or rolled cold-cuts
- cherry tomatoes or dried tomato slices
- pickled eggs or hard-boiled eggs
- pickled peppers (peperoncini, jalapeno, cherry, or sport peppers)
- lime and/or lemon wedges
- an assortment of hot sauces & chili powder or Tajin
- prepared horseradish, Worcestershire, celery salt, Cajun seasoning (the mix is already seasoned, but in case your guests want to customize their drinks)
- crispy bacon slices, or rolled & baked sliced chewy bacon on skewers
- slider cheeseburgers? I’m kidding… mostly, though there are restaurants that put these and even more elaborate whole meals on a stick in their bloodies as a “garnish”, so why not?
As one of my good buddies in college used to say, “nothing says excess… like excess”. He was probably channeling or near-quoting the late, great Oscar Wilde, “Nothing succeeds like excess.”
Speaking of Oscar Wilde (and spicy snacks on sticks?), he would have LOVED these risque vintage highball glasses (*from my friend Vanessa’s collection of thrifted treasures, aren’t they AMAZING? Also, you should go check out her art and pick up a print or three, yeah?).
Homemade Bloody Mary Mix Ingredients
tomato juice:
You can use fresh or canned homemade tomato juice, or plain store-bought tomato juice. The Ball recipe uses their tomato juice recipe (which includes beets for color) but I wouldn’t substitute V8 if you are canning this, as that could possibly throw off the low-acid ingredient ratio in this tested recipe.
Note on quantities and conversions:
Pay attention to volume measurements here… If you have home-canned tomato juice, it’s probably already in quart jars. If you’re buying large cans of tomato juice, they’re probably larger than a quart, so make sure to scale your ingredients properly (or measure and save the remaining tomato juice for another recipe).
The cans of tomato juice I used are 46 oz (a quart is 32 oz)… I scaled up the original recipe from Ball proportionally to do a big batch. Stick to the original quantities that I’ve listed here, or simple multiples if you’re not comfortable doing the recipe conversions (or if you get uneven quantities when using the recipe card volume adjustment) and want to do a bigger batch to save time & labor.
When in doubt, always round down or reduce the quantity of any non-acidic ingredient (everything but the tomato juice, pickle brine, and lemon or lime juice)… never increase them or add other non-acid ingredients to a tested recipe, or change the ratios. You can always add more stuff when you mix your drinks if you want to personalize it further!
celery:
We’re using just the tender celery heart and leaves, finely chopped. They cook down in the canned recipe, lending a lot of flavor and just a bit of texture that is nice without being too chunky. Make sure you wash your celery well to remove any sand or gritty dirt, and then chop these quite finely!
I chop by hand, but you could also rough chop the stalks then use a food processor to pulse them into small pieces, or use the slicing blade on the stalks then pulse with the regular blade.
lemon or lime juice:
The recipe calls for bottled lemon juice, which has a standardized acidity. You can safely substitute bottled lime juice, or a blend of the two, if you prefer. Lime is more acidic than lemon, so it’s safe to switch them here, or mix them if you prefer a little lime flavor in your Bloodies! I go 50/50 for a balanced mix.
Do not use freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice in this recipe, as the acidity of fresh citrus may vary. Because this is a water-bath canning recipe with low-acid ingredients that was tested with bottled juice, we need to stick to that for safety’s sake!
seasonings:
Here’s where this stops being just a jar of tomato juice and becomes something special to stock in your home bar!
- Worcestershire sauce Ball has a homemade recipe that is safe to use in one of their canning books but store-bought is fine.
- Regular Worcestershire has a small amount of anchovy for umami… if you have vegan guests or other folks who can’t eat fish products, use a vegan Worcestershire sauce.
- Prepared horseradish Use plain grated horseradish pickled in salt and vinegar, NOT horseradish dressing or anything with mayo, cream, or other dairy, oil, or egg. This is for canning safety as well as quality.
- You can add creamy horseradish when you mix and serve the drinks later if that’s something you like!
- Hot sauce Here’s where you can personalize it a bit… use any hot sauce that is safe for canning.
- This means sticking to plain vinegar-based or fermented hot sauces, which should be fine, just none with added oil, egg/mayo, or dairy… for example, Frank’s is fine, but their blended wing sauce is not!
- Stick with the classics like Louisiana or Crystal if you want more acidic flavor and less heat, or spice it up with habanero hot sauce, Caribbean-style, Tabasco, or whatever you like!
- I use mostly Louisiana for flavor when I make this, and add a dash of Yucateca or other hotter hot sauce to kick up the heat a notch.
- Dill pickle brine For a classic flavor, use regular dill pickle brine. You could mix it up with other pickle brines, just make sure they’re at least as acidic as dill brine (avoid sweet pickles, but a splash of pickled pepper brine in with the dill is probably fine if you want even more heat). If you’re not sure, stick with regular or hot dill pickle brine.
- Spices Here’s where you can make some tweaks as long as you know how to do safe canning substitutions, but it’s best to stick to the ratios & quantities here until you do.
- We’re using black pepper, garlic powder, salt, sweet or smoked paprika, and celery seeds or celery salt (I use Old Bay, which is celery salt with a more complex spice blend added).
- If you use celery salt or Old Bay instead of celery seed, reduce the salt by about the same amount, and taste for seasoning before you fill your jars. Remember that the Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, pickle brine, horseradish, and possibly the tomato juice also have salt and season accordingly!
Kitchen Equipment Needed
cutting board and sharp knife or food processor:
You’ll need to finely chop the celery hearts. I do this by hand but you can also use your food processor to make uniform minced pieces if you prefer.
large stockpot:
You’ll need a large, heavy bottomed stockpot to briefly simmer your Bloody Mary mix before canning. You could also use a 6 quart or 8 quart Instant Pot on the saute setting.
water-bath canner or large stockpot and trivet/jar rack:
You need a large canning pot with a lid that will hold all of your pint jars with room for at least an inch of rapidly boiling water to cover the lids. You can stack the jars if your pot is tall enough, but it’s best to use a jar rack or a perforated steamer insert separating between the layers so that the jars don’t jostle and break.
Canning funnel, ladle, jar tongs, and rack:
These tools are optional but make the job of filling your jars, and getting them into and out of the hot water bath a lot easier and safer!
You can read more about these and our recommendations in our guide to canning equipment if you don’t already have these or are new to canning.
How to Can Bloody Mary Mix
prep ingredients:
- Carefully wash the celery heart stalks, removing any dirt or grit. Pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel or spin dry in a salad spinner.
- Mince the leafy tops and tender small inner stalks until you have enough (1/2 cup gently packed for a single batch… these photos were for a larger batch using this recipe).
- If you use the stalks, cut them into 1/4″-1/8″ sticks first, then crosswise to finely mince them, unless you want larger chunks in your juice.
- Get out all of your other ingredients and measuring implements.
- If you are canning this, fill your canning pot with water, cover the pot, and bring it up to a boil over high heat while you are prepping the juice.
- Wash your canning jars with hot, soapy water and make sure you have enough lids.
mix juice and seasonings:
- In a large pot (6-8 quart pot for a single batch, or scale up to a bigger pot if you are making a double or triple batch like this one), open and add all of the tomato juice.
- Add all of the other ingredients to the pot now- the minced celery hearts, Worcestershire sauce, pickle brine, prepared horseradish, hot sauce(s), salt, pepper, garlic powder, celery seeds/salt (or Old Bay), smoked paprika, and the bottled lemon or lime juice (or a blend of the two).
- Stir the mixture well to break up any clumps or chunks.
simmer:
- Bring the pot of bloody mary mix to a simmer over medium high heat.
- Stir the juice mixture regularly to make sure it doesn’t scorch, and bring it up to a boil.
- Once the tomato juice mixture boils, set a timer and let it boil for five minutes. Stir regularly.
fill jars (or chill/freeze):
- If you are not canning your bloody mary mix, chill it down rapidly, and either refrigerate until chilled or pour into pint or quart sized deli containers (or other freezer safe container).
- To can your mix, use a canning funnel (if you have one) and a ladle to fill your pint (or smaller) canning jars.
- Wipe down the jar rims with a clean, lint-free cloth or paper towel. I like to dampen the cloth with hot water or distilled vinegar to make sure the rims are very clean.
- Top with new canning lids (or prepared reusable lids & rings like Tattlers, if you are comfortable with these). Tighten the metal jar rings finger-tip tight.
water-bath:
- Using jar tongs or a jar rack, carefully place the filled jars into the hot water bath.
- Make sure the jars are covered by at least one and preferably two inches of boiling water. Top up the pot with hot water from a kettle if necessary.
- Cover the pot, checking until the pot of water has returned to a rolling boil.
- Start a timer for 35 minutes once the water bath is boiling, and cover the pot.
- After the 35 minutes are up, turn off the heat, and set another timer for 5 minutes, leaving the pot covered.
cool, check seals, store:
- Remove the jars from the canner, and set on a folded towel or wire rack to cool. Use your jar tongs again or the jar-lifter rack… I prefer removing the jars individually with jar tongs so they don’t clang together, break, or drip as much.
- Leave the jars undisturbed overnight (or until completely cooled).
Pantry and Storage Tips
- Store your sealed jars of bloody mary mix in a cool, dark pantry.
- Temperature swings and direct sunlight will shorten the shelf life and damage the quality & flavor of your home canned foods.
- Home canned goods are best consumed within 12-18 months, but should be safe much longer as long as the seal is intact and the jars show no signs of spoilage.
- Discard any jars that lose their seals in storage, bubble or hiss when opened, or have an off smell or visible signs of spoilage.
- Once you open a jar of bloody mary mix, use it right away, and refrigerate any leftovers. They’ll last for up to a week in the fridge.
Homemade Bloody Mary Mix (Water-Bath Canning Recipe)
Equipment
- glass pint canning jars, rings, and new lids (16 oz/500 mL) or smaller jars, not quarts)
- jar lifters or tongs or jar rack with handles
Ingredients
- 2 quarts tomato juice Canned or freshly prepared tomato juice is fine.
- ½ cup celery hearts leafy green tender center stalks, finely minced
- 6 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 6 tbsp dill pickle brine
- ¼ cup prepared horseradish Plain horseradish grated in vinegar. Do NOT substitute creamy prepared horseradish.
- 2 tbsp hot sauce I like Louisiana hot sauce for this recipe, but you can vary the flavor and heat with your preferred brand or style as long as the ingredients are safe for home canning.
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp black pepper Preferably freshly ground pepper
- 1 tsp celery seeds Substitute: Old Bay or celery salt, and reduce salt to 1 tsp.
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 cup bottled lemon or lime juice Do not substitute fresh lemon juice. You can use bottled lime juice if you prefer, or a blend of lemon and lime.
Instructions
prep ingredients:
- Carefully wash the celery heart stalks, removing any dirt or grit. Pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel or spin dry in a salad spinner.
- Mince the leafy tops and tender small inner stalks until you have enough (1/2 cup gently packed for a single batch… these photos were for a larger batch using this recipe).
- If you use the stalks, cut them into 1/4″-1/8″ sticks first, then crosswise to finely mince them, unless you want larger chunks in your juice.
- Get out all of your other ingredients and measuring implements.
- If you are canning this, fill your canning pot with water, cover the pot, and bring it up to a boil over high heat while you are prepping the juice. Wash your jars and make sure you have enough canning lids.
mix juice and seasonings:
- In a large pot (6-8 quart pot for a single batch, or scale up to a bigger pot if you are making a double or triple batch like this one), open and add all of the tomato juice.
- Add all of the other ingredients to the pot now- the minced celery hearts, Worcestershire sauce, pickle brine, prepared horseradish, hot sauce(s), salt, pepper, garlic powder, celery seeds/salt (or Old Bay), smoked paprika, and the bottled lemon or lime juice (or a blend of the two).
- Stir the mixture well to break up any clumps or chunks.
simmer:
- Bring the pot of bloody mary mix to a simmer over medium high heat.
- Stir the juice mixture regularly to make sure it doesn’t scorch, and bring it up to a boil.
- Once the tomato juice mixture boils, set a timer and let it boil for five minutes. Stir regularly.
fill jars (or chill/freeze):
- If you are not canning your bloody mary mix, chill it down rapidly, and either refrigerate until chilled or pour into pint or quart sized deli containers (or other freezer safe container).
- To can your mix, use a canning funnel (if you have one) and a ladle to fill your pint (or smaller) canning jars.
- Wipe down the jar rims with a clean, lint-free cloth or paper towel. I like to dampen the cloth with hot water or distilled vinegar to make sure the rims are very clean.
- Top with new canning lids (or prepared reusable lids & rings like Tattlers, if you are comfortable with these). Tighten the metal jar rings finger-tip tight.
water-bath:
- Using jar tongs or a jar rack, carefully place the filled jars into the hot water bath.
- Make sure the jars are covered by at least one and preferably two inches of boiling water. Top up the pot with hot water from a kettle if necessary.
- Cover the pot, checking until the pot of water has returned to a rolling boil.
- Start a timer for 35 minutes once the water bath is boiling, and cover the pot.
- After the 35 minutes are up, turn off the heat, and set another timer for 5 minutes, leaving the pot covered.
cool, check seals, store:
- Remove the jars from the canner, and set on a folded towel or wire rack to cool. Use your jar tongs again or the jar-lifter rack… I prefer removing the jars individually with jar tongs so they don’t clang together, break, or drip as much.
- Leave the jars undisturbed overnight (or until completely cooled).
Notes
-
- Store your sealed jars of bloody mary mix in a cool, dark pantry.
- Temperature swings and direct sunlight will shorten the shelf life and damage the quality & flavor of your home canned foods.
- Home canned goods are best consumed within 12-18 months, but should be safe much longer as long as the seal is intact and the jars show no signs of spoilage.
-
- Discard any jars that lose their seals in storage, bubble or hiss when opened, or have an off smell or visible signs of spoilage.
-
- Once you open a jar of bloody mary mix, use it right away, and refrigerate any leftovers. They’ll last for up to a week in the fridge.
- You can also portion and freeze this mix in airtight containers for up to six months.
Nutrition
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