Scotland's Best Bloody Marys

Spice up your life with one or all of the winning Bloody Marys in this year's Food and Drink Survey

Feature by Peter Simpson | 03 Jan 2018

Spicy, reviving, potent, and maybe even one of your five-a-day – the Bloody Mary is an excellent invention that goes well with pretty much every occasion. It's like a solid pair of black trainers, if they were packed with chili and had a piece of celery poking out of the back. Your favourites each take a different route to bloody deliciousness, starting with the Bloody Mary at The Bungo (17 Nithsdale Rd, Glasgow).

Well, we say 'the' Bloody Mary, but there are actually six different variants of the classic on The Bungo's menu. There's the classic, the virgin, the Red Snapper (swapping the vodka for gin), and the Bloody Maria (featuring tequila). Then there are a pair of more experimental options – the Smoking Mary, with Talisker single malt whisky bringing a smoky, woody vibe to proceedings; and the Tom Yum Bloody Mary, pairing Asian spices with the classic tomato, vodka and lime. See, there's a Bloody Mary for everyone!

Over in Edinburgh at the Roseleaf (24 Sandport Pl), the twist is somewhat boozier. The Bloody Rose is a Bloody Mary with house-made spice mix and a Buckfast float – for those occasions when a bacon roll and a can of Irn-Bru won't quite wake you up, grab one of these and you'll be on the go in no time. When it comes to spice, no Bloody Mary can hold a candle to 13th Note's (50 King St, Glasgow); if you were to hold a candle to it, the wax would immediately start melting in your hand.

It's a base of chili pepper-infused Stolichnaya, tomato and lemon juice, with basil and celery to garnish and a red wine float. Oh, and there's a good whack of Glasgow Mega Death hot sauce in there – you know, the hot sauce with the faintly Satanic yet strangely charming design and impressive-slash-terrifying heat. If you need to sweat out a hangover, wake up your taste buds, or just experience an extremely spicy and tasty drink that goes great with some brunch, you know where to go.

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