Name: Spicy Bloody Mary with Bacon
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: raw bacon (regular, not thick sliced); 1 Tablespoon chili powder; 1 Tablespoon kosher salt; 12 ounces plain tomato juice; 8 ounces vodka; 3 ounces Millers Banana Pepper Sauce, hot flavor; 2 ounces olive juice; 2 ounces fresh lime juice; 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce; 4 dashes liquid smoke; 1 teaspoon celery salt; lime wedges; ice; celery stalks; cooked cocktail shrimp (tail on or off); green pimento stuffed olives; banana peppers (hot or mild); beverage toothpicks

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This is the BEST spicy bloody mary with bacon! Made from scratch, this easy recipe includes a chili salt rim and twisted bacon garnish.

two bloody mary cocktails garnished with peppers, celery, shrimp, olives and bacon.

This post was originally published in March 2022, sponsored by Miller's Gourmet Foods, and has been updated for content.

Bloody Mary's are always a fun classic cocktail for Sunday brunch or on special occasions. I love a good bloody mary and this is definitely the best bloody mary mix, made with my favorite sweet and spicy banana pepper sauce.

Serve this ultimate bloody mary cocktail for your next brunch with a hash brown quiche, loaded blue cheese and bacon chips or fried goat cheese balls.

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🌶 Ingredient notes
📋 Substitutions and variations
🍹Step by step instructions
⭐ Expert tips
⏲️ Make ahead instructions
🥡 Storage suggestions
🍸 More cocktail recipes
#ScarlatiFamilyKitchen
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

🌶 Ingredient notes

tomato juice, vodka, millers sauce, celery, shrimp, bacon, olives, peppers and seasonings for bloody marys

Banana Pepper Sauce - This fresh banana pepper hot sauce is definitely one of my favorite condiments that has the perfect spicy kick. It gives this drink just the right amount of heat along with the natural flavor of banana pepper. You can find it sometimes at the grocery store or you can purchase it online. You can substitute it with your favorite hot sauce, but I would cut the amount in half.
Bacon - These twisted bacon straws are a really fun way to garnish the drinks and honestly the best part. Use your favorite variety of bacon to make these bacon twists. Make sure to get regular sliced as opposed to thick sliced, as they are harder to twist.
Garnishes - In addition to the twisted bacon, green olives, banana peppers, cocktail shrimp and a celery stick are my favorite garnishes. These are optional and can be customized to your liking. A pickle spear, sliced jalapeño, fresh lime wedge, cocktail onion or marinated artichokes are also great options.

📋 Substitutions and variations

Extra Spice - Add a few dashes of black pepper or cayenne pepper or even more heat!
Vegetarian - Omit the twisted bacon and shrimp garnishes and use vegan worcestershire sauce instead.
Non-Alcoholic - Substitute the vodka for extra tomato juice to make this a "virgin mary" mocktail.
Big Batch - Want to serve this drink for a party? Size up the quantities to serve the number of people you need and serve the mix in beverage carafes. Serve ice and garnishes on the side for a make-your-own bloody mary bar.
Single Serving - To make just a single cocktail, cut the quantities of the recipe by a quarter. Instead of making the drink in a glass or pitcher, shake the ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker and then serve over ice with the garnishes.

🍹Step by step instructions

First, twist the bacon strips tightly and then place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or foil.

Roast the bacon in a 400˚ oven for 20-25 minutes until crispy. Allow the bacon to drain and cool completely on paper towels.

bacon strips twisted on a sheet pan and cooked bacon twists in grease on sheet pan

Next, in a shallow dish or on a small plate, mix together the chili powder and kosher salt.

Run a lime wedge around the rim of the glass and then dip the moistened rim in the chili salt mixture.

chili powder salt mixture on plate with spoon and mixture on rim of clear glass

In a beverage carafe or large pitcher, combine the plain tomato juice, vodka, banana pepper sauce, olive juice, lime juice, worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, and celery salt.

Mix together gently and then fill the pilsner glass or large mason jar about ¾ of the way with ice. Pour bloody mary mix over the top, leaving an inch or two of space for the garnishes.

bloody mary mix in carafe and over ice in glasses next to millers banana pepper sauce

Finally, garnish each spicy bloody mary cocktail with the twisted bacon, celery stalks, cocktail shrimp, and a green olive and banana pepper skewer.

bloody marys in clear glasses garnished with bacon, celery, shrimp, olives and peppers

If you ever don't recognize a tool or skill that I mention, be sure to look it up in our Glossary of Cooking Terms and Definitions for more information.

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⭐ Expert tips

Make sure to twist the bacon tightly so that it stays twisted during roasting. They may start to twist or move a bit during cooking and can be straightened out with tongs during cooking if needed.
Let the bacon drain on a paper towel and cool completely so that it crisps up enough to stand in the drink.
Use beverage toothpicks to skewer together smaller ingredients, like the olives or peppers, or just let them float in the drink by themselves.
If making the homemade mix ahead of time, do not add ice or it will water down the drinks.

⏲️ Make ahead instructions

The spicy bloody mary mix can be made up to 24 hours ahead of time with the vodka in it or up to 3 days ahead of time without it. Store the mix in the airtight container in the refrigerator until use. At serving time, stir in the vodka (if needed), pour over ice, and add garnishes.

🥡 Storage suggestions

The leftover mix that does not contain vodka can be frozen in ice cubes to be stored for later. Leftover bloody mary mix with the vodka will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

🍸 More cocktail recipes

If you loved this spicy bloody mary recipe, check out these other cocktail recipes that I know you will love too!

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If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and give it a rating. I love to hear from each and every one of you! Tag me on Facebook and Instagram as well! It makes my day to see all of your photos of the food you have made.

📖 Recipe

two bloody marys garnished with shrimp, bacon, celery, olives and peppers

Spicy Bloody Mary with Bacon

Amanda

This is the BEST spicy bloody mary with bacon! Made from scratch, this easy recipe includes a chili salt rim and and twisted bacon garnish.

5 from 10 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Course Beverages, Cocktails

Cuisine American

Servings servings

Calories 255 kcal

Ingredients

Twisted Bacon Garnish

raw bacon regular, not thick sliced

Chili Salt Rim

1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon kosher salt

Spicy Bloody Mary

12 ounces plain tomato juice
8 ounces vodka
3 ounces Millers Banana Pepper Sauce, hot flavor
2 ounces olive juice
2 ounces fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
4 dashes liquid smoke
1 teaspoon celery salt
lime wedges
ice

Garnishes

celery stalks
cooked cocktail shrimp tail on or off
green pimento stuffed olives
banana peppers hot or mild
beverage toothpicks

Instructions

Twisted Bacon

Preheat the oven to 400˚ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
Twist each slice of bacon tightly and lay on the prepared sheet pan.
Roast bacon in the oven for 20-25 minutes until crispy. Let the bacon drain and cool completely on paper towels.

Chili Rim Salt

In a shallow dish or on a plate, mix together chili powder and salt. Set aside.

Spicy Bloody Mary

In a beverage carafe, combine tomato juice, vodka, banana pepper sauce, olive juice, fresh lime juice, worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke and celery salt. Stir to combine.
Run a lime wedge around the rim of each serving glass and dip into the chili salt mixture.
Fill the glasses about ¾ of the way with ice and pour the bloody mary mixture over the ice into the glasses.
Garnish drinks with twisted bacon, celery, shrimp and olives and a banana pepper on a beverage skewer.

Notes

Make sure to twist the bacon tightly so that it stays twisted during roasting. If it starts to move during, just straighten them out with tongs.
Let the bacon drain on a paper towel and cool completely so that it crisps up enough to stand in the drink.
Use beverage toothpicks to skewer together smaller ingredients, like the olives or peppers, or just let them float in the drink by themselves.
If making the bloody mary mix ahead of time, do not add ice or it will water down the drinks.

Substitutions and Variations

Miller's Sauce - Use mild, hot or habanero flavors depending on preference. Regular hot sauce can be substituted for the sauce, but the quantity should be reduced by half.
Bacon - Any flavor of bacon can be used for this recipe, however regular sliced bacon will twist easier than thick sliced.
Garnishes - Pickles, cocktail onions, sliced jalapenos, lime wedges or artichokes are other great options for garnishes.
Vegetarian - Omit the twisted bacon and shrimp garnishes and use vegan worcestershire sauce.
Non-Alcoholic - Substitute the vodka for extra tomato juice.
For a Crowd - Serve the mix in a beverage carafes and serve ice and garnishes on the side for a make your own bloody mary bar.

Make Ahead and Storage Instructions

The spicy bloody mary mix can be made up to 24 hours ahead of time with the vodka in it and up to 3 days ahead of time without it. Store the mix in an airtight container in the refrigerator until use. At serving time, stir in the vodka (if needed), pour over ice and add garnishes.

Leftover mix that does not contain vodka can be frozen in ice cubes to be stored for later. Leftover bloody mary mix with the vodka will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1drinkCalories: 255kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 4gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 796mgPotassium: 358mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 524IUVitamin C: 47mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg

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