Weekend Project: The Ned Ludd Bloody Mary

We partnered with with the team at Ned Ludd, a Portland restaurant that feels like home, to bring our Open Kitchen collection to life this season. Its cozy, casual vibe pairs perfectly with its rustic menu, which highlights peak-season produce and handcrafted, locally sourced ingredients. Read our interviews with the owners, chefs and partners behind Ned Ludd and try their original recipes here.

 

No brunch is complete without a good Bloody Mary, and at Ned Ludd, it’s all about the details. Chef and owner Jason French adds plenty of herbs and spices to the base, then tops each drink with a trio of homemade pickles. Here are his top tips for mixing the ultimate Bloody Mary, plus recipes to get you started.

 

Start with fresh juices. “Have fresh juices – a tomato base, with citrus to spike,” says Jason. He recommends lemon juice, orange juice or lime juice.

 

Add flavor. Incorporate vegetal complements such as smashed garlic, ginger and horseradish. Then, add Worcestershire, hot sauce and pickles to taste. “Create a fun and interesting spice ratio,” Jason suggests. “So many traditional Bloody Marys have tons of black pepper, by I like to toast cumin and coriander to get more exotic.”

 

Mix it up! Experiment with different combinations of spices and spirits. “We have one with caraway, juniper, coriander and white pepper, where we do a tomato base with aquavit instead of vodka,” says Jason. “Then we have a traditional vodka one with smoked paprika and black pepper and salt.”

 

Bloody Mary

 

64 ounces unflavored tomato juice

5 Tbs. Worchestershire sauce

2 Tbs. sherry vinegar

2 Tbs. horseradish

2 Tbs. hot sauce, plus more to taste

2 Tbs. lemon juice

2 Tbs. pickle juice

1 tsp. dill weed

1 tsp. black peppercorn

½ tsp. dill seed

1 tsp. celery seed

½ tsp. mustard seed

¼ fennel seed

1 tsp. salt

12 ounces Vodka or aquavit

Pickled celery, carrots and beets, for serving (recipes below)

 

Combine first 7 ingredients together in large pitcher. Combine all dry ingredients in a spice grinder and grind until well ground. Add dry ingredients to pitcher and mix well. Taste and season with salt and additional hot sauce if needed.

 

When ready to serve, add vodka to pitcher and mix well. Serve Bloody Mary over ice in a glass. Garnish with pickled celery, carrot and beets. Serves 8-10.

 

Celery Pickles

 

6 celery sticks

2 cups champagne vinegar

2 cups sugar

½ Tbs. turmeric

1 Tbs. yellow mustard seeds

 

Slice celery on the bias into 1-inch pieces.

 

In a medium saucepan, bring champagne vinegar and sugar to a boil. Reduce heat and add turmeric and yellow mustard seeds, then simmer for 15 minutes. After mixture has simmered for 15 minutes, bring back to boil and add celery. Boil celery in mixture for 1-2 minutes to allow celery to soften.

 

Remove from heat and let celery pickles sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours, then store in the refrigerator. Pickles will keep in the refrigerator for about a week. Makes 1 pint.

 

Carrot Pickles

 

4 carrots

2 cups champagne vinegar

2 cups sugar

½ tsp. salt

½ Tbs. caraway seeds

½ Tbs. cumin seeds

 

Peel and slice carrots into ¼-inch coins.

 

In a medium saucepan, bring champagne vinegar, sugar, and salt to a boil. Reduce heat, then add caraway seeds and cumin seeds and simmer for 15 minutes. Add carrot to mixture and boil for 1 minute.

 

Remove saucepan from heat and allow pickles to sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours, then store in the refrigerator. Pickles will keep for about 1 week in the refrigerator. Makes 2 pints.

 

Beet Pickles

 

5  lb. beets

2 cups red wine vinegar

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. salt

3 allspice berries

1 star anise pods

½ cinnamon stick

 

Preheat oven to 450°F.

 

Wash beets and remove greens if needed. Place beets in a pan with 1 inch water. Cover tightly with tin foil and roast for about 45 minutes or until a knife can easy go into beets.

 

Remove the beets from the pan and let cool. Once cool enough to handle, remove skins from beets and cut into small wedges.

 

In a medium saucepan bring red wine vinegar, sugar, and salt to a boil. Reduce heat and add allspice, star anise, and cinnamon stick to the mixture and simmer for 15 minutes. Bring mixture back to a boil, then pour over beets.  Allow beet mixture to sit out at room temperature for 12-24 hours, then store in refrigerator. Pickles will keep in refrigerator for about a week. Makes about 1 quart.