FanNation - The Republic of Sport

You don't have to be 21 to read this post, but you must be 21 to sample the results. Uh, it's 5 days til the biggest Bloody Mary morning of the year. Thought I'd share my Dad's Secret Recipe, so grab a pencil. (I realize this may be the most controversial post in the history of this blog, but to everyone who doesn't think this is the best Bloody ever...you're wrong.) Now, the single Bloody. Vodka. Scott Johnson over at Jake's Pub will beg to differ, but like the Margarita, the Bloody Mary is a waste of the more expensive liquor. Gordon's is perfect - you've probably drained your Grey Goose the night before anyway. Grab a tall glass, fill with ice, pour in your own measure of vodka. Then, put in 4-6 shakes of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce, and 2-6 shakes (shakes, not drops) of Tabasco sauce depending on your zest quotient. There should be a couple inches of brown liquid in the bottom of your glass. Add a couple light shakes of Lawry's Lemon Pepper (you don't need or want celery salt with this recipe). Either quarter a lime, or cut a lemon in half lengthwise, and cut each half into quarters to make 8 large squeezes. Squeeze one and drop it in. Fill the glass half way with V-8, then up to about an inch below the top (you'll need to stir and not spill) with Clamato. Do not forget the Clamato. Stir carefully and vigorously for at least 30 seconds. One more shake of the Lawry's Lemon Pepper so there's a sprinkle on the surface. That's called v-i-c-t-o-r-y, my friend. If you must garnish try tearing off a couple cilantro leaves and lay them on top. Now, the only thing wrong with the single Bloody Mary is even though you've stirred diligently, the ingredients haven't really had a chance to blend. That, and...there's only one Bloody. The best thing is to make a pitcher of mix and keep it in the fridge overnight so when all the bowl games come on you're not wasting time in the kitchen. So, do this: Get a big pitcher with a lid. Give it 50 shakes of Lea & Perrins, 50 shakes of Tabasco, 10-15 good shakes of the lemon pepper. Pour in a bottle of Clamato and that big can of v8. DO NOT ADD LEMON OR VODKA YET (for some reason this makes it go wonky). Stir it, shake it, whatever your pitcher will allow. Put that in the fridge overnight. Invite people over who like to watch football. All you do is add ice, vodka and lemon. Or lime. Then, I don't think it's possible, but wouldn't it be awesome if the Fighting Illini beat Southern Cal? Okay, last thing. Mark Prior going to San Diego. I still hope the guy makes his recovery and has a chance to un-**** himself. I think he thinks he's back by May, in which case he'll be at Wrigley May 12-14. More likely he's back by June, and we can watch him vs the Cubs on June 2-4. That'll be must watch tv, folks.