Frugal Foodie Mama: Basil & Garlic Bloody Mary

The traditional Bloody Mary gets a little sophisticated & flavorful twist with a super simple basil & garlic infused vodka...

Football season is in full swing, folks!

Some of you are fans. Some of you are crazy fans.... like you start bleeding a color other than red when your favorite team hits the field.

And some of you all could care less.

But I think we can all say that we are fans of tailgating and football parties and the tasty foods and drinks that those little get-togethers entail. Am I right? ;)

Football game mornings used to always mean bloody marys to start the day. I mean, you know... like years ago they did.

But I still like to partake in the occasional bloody mary on a crisp football game morning.

I decided to give the traditional bloody mary a little sophisticated and flavorful twist, a little grown-up flair if you will with a super simple basil & garlic infused vodka.

So there are actually two recipes for you all for this one... one for the infused vodka and another for the actual Basil & Garlic Bloody Mary.

Let's start with that infused vodka, shall we? ;) Make sure you start this at least two days before the weekend. It only needs 48 hours to fully infuse, but you do not want to remember that you forgot to make the vodka the night before the big game!

(Psssttt... if you start this by this evening, it will be ready for this Saturday's big game.)

Basil & Garlic Infused Vodka

by Frugal Foodie Mama

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 48 hours infusing time

Ingredients (1 cup infused vodka)

1 cup plain vodka
2-3 garlic cloves- peeled and smashed
handful fresh basil leaves, roughly torn

Instructions

Place the smashed garlic and basil in a pint sized jar. Pour the vodka over top. Place the lid on the jar and give it a good shake. Place on your counter and allow to infuse for at least 48 hours. Shake the jar 1-2 times per day.

After 48 hours, strain the infused vodka into a bowl using a fine mesh strainer.

Pour the vodka back into the pint jar.

Use for your favorite bloody mary and martini cocktails.

Enjoy!

Once you have your basil & garlic infused vodka, you can get started on whipping up that Basil & Garlic Bloody Mary...

Basil & Garlic Bloody Mary

by Frugal Foodie Mama

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: None

Ingredients (1 drink)

1/2 cup tomato juice
1 shot of basil & garlic infused vodka
2-3 dashes (or to your preference) of hot sauce
2-3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
2-3 dashes celery salt
juice from 1/2 a lime

Instructions

Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker, and give it a few good shakes. Pour over ice into a tall glass. Garnish with celery, green olives, a pickle, whatever you prefer.

Enjoy!

I originally shared this recipe on White Lights on Wednesday as a contributor post. :)