What to Put in Your Bloody Mary Gift Basket

October 10, 2019

Whether it’s a go-to favorite or an occasional indulgence, many people enjoy a Bloody Mary from time to time. When you look at a typical Bloody Mary recipe, it seems like the drink has everything in it but the kitchen sink. With so many ingredients, how could the drink ever be bad? Well, the drink can stink — literally and figuratively — if it’s not made with high-quality ingredients.

Get the Ingredients Right! Basic Bloody Mary Ingredients

If you want to surprise the Bloody Mary enthusiast in your life with a gift they’ll love, you can make your own Bloody Mary gift basket. Just any Bloody Mary gift basket won’t do, though. You need to put together a gift basket that has nothing but the best ingredients.

Now, you’re probably scratching your head trying to come up with some clever Bloody Mary gift basket ideas. Don’t worry! You don’t have to recreate the wheel, so to speak. Just follow our Bloody Mary recipe to get an idea of the ingredients you should include in your gift basket.

While some of the ingredients in our recipe are generic — think pepper and celery salt — you should shop for others by brand name. You’ll probably want to stick with Lea & Perrins Original Worcestershire Sauce, for example.

Don’t skimp on the vodka, either! Here are some high-quality liquors you might want to splurge on:

• Ketel One
• Chopin
• Grey Goose
• Absolut
• Van Gogh
• Belvedere

When you’re shopping for vodka, remember that many brands make vodka in different flavors. Pick up a bottle that isn’t pre-flavored to ensure it will play well with the other Bloody Mary ingredients.

Make It an Experience: Mason Jars and Food Pairings

Even after you get all the ingredients for the cocktail, you may still find yourself in search of Bloody Mary gift set ideas to flush out your basket. If you want to add some more things to your basket, start with some mason jars and foodstuff that will pair well with a Bloody Mary.

Anyone can serve a Bloody Mary in a regular glass. Set your buddy up to serve drinks in a novel way by adding some mason jars to your gift basket. Let’s face it — every drink is better and cooler when it’s in a mason jar. Get larger jars for the Bloody Marys your friend will concoct and smaller jars for that must-have sidecar of beer.

There’s no reason to put empty mason jars in your gift basket when you can fill them with food that will complement a Bloody Mary perfectly. What kind of food can you put in the jars? Crackers, roasted nuts and pretzel bites, for starters. Don’t forget to add blocks of high-quality cheese to your basket to go with the crackers.

If you’re feeling really ambitious, make a spinach and goat cheese dip and fill one of the jars with it. Your friend can simply warm up the dip in a microwave and enjoy it with some crackers. Or you can buy some pre-made red pepper hummus, transfer it to one of the mason jars and fill a second jar with some pita or bagel chips.

You can also include the ingredients for other great bloody mary food pairing ideas.

The Ever-Important Garnish: Make It Creative

When it comes to garnishing a Bloody Mary, there’s nothing wrong with throwing a bunch of celery, a jar of unstuffed green olives and a lemon or lime in your gift basket. But let’s shake things up a bit!

How can you deviate from the standard garnishes without ruining the Bloody Marys your friend will mix up? By adding Benny’s Original Meat Straws to your gift basket, naturally. Loaded with protein, Benny’s Original Meat Straws will add an unmistakable flavor to the Bloody Marys your buddy prepares — making the Bloody Mary your friend’s signature homemade drink.

Order some Benny’s Original Meat Straws for your Bloody Mary gift basket now!