Nanny O'Briens

On our Saturday outings we stopped at a small Irish pub in Cleveland Park, D.C. to get a bite to eat. Of course being at a pub I had to try another Bloody Mary, and this was one of the best I've had in awhile. Made with a bottled mix "Mrs. T's Bold and Spicy," topped with a few olives, this one really hit the spot. The bartender added some extra Cholula hot sauce to make it spicy, and it was just perfect. Their deep fried pickles and veggie burger were pretty excellent as well.

http://nannyobriens.com

Copper Canyon Grill: Gaithersburg, MD

Copper Canyon The waitress informed me their bloody mary is made with Ocean Spray brand bloody mary mix. I generally prefer establishments that create their own house blend of mix, but this was very good. She brought me a sample of just the mix without any of the additions (including the vodka) that normally go into the drink and it was delicious. As an added bonus, you can get their bloody mary with a cocktail shrimp garnish. Yum!

www.ccgrill.com

Purple Moose Saloon: Ocean City, MD

This is one of those places that I'd wanted to try their bloody mary for some time, but the odd hours of operation had always prevented me from doing so. They claim openly on their saloon window to have "The Best Bloody Mary in Ocean City," so of course it caught my attention. Unfortunately, false advertising is common. While it was certainly tasty, it was definitely not the best. Still, worth a try, especially if you're looking to sit around a pitch black bar and gamble or watch sports in the middle of the day for no particular reason.

www.purplemoose.com

De Lazy Lizard

This was one of my favorites from our honeymoon! Located on the waterfront at one of Ocean City, MD's newest restaurants, this delicious bloodymary included horseradish, Old Bay, and all the things that make a great spicy Bloody Mary. We visited several times during our stay there :)

www.oclazylizard.com

Carnival Cruise Ship Bloody Mary

I had this one recently while cruising on a Carnival ship. Let's just say they basically pour some tomato juice and vodka into a cup and offer you wilted celery and tabasco sauce, salt and pepper when you ask for it spicy. The optional lime is a must. Amidst over-priced cruise drinks, this one is a good deal if you're not too picky about having to doctor it up a little. They serve "doubles" before noon, meaning basically a half a cup of vodka topped off with some tomato juice. Certainly plenty to get the day going on any vacation.

Ruby Tuesday Cajun Mary

I can't believe this one hasn't made it into the posts before, I've had it a few times and it's always delicious. They use an unusual ingredient I've never seen anywhere else in a Bloody Mary, BBQ sauce. It's also deliciously spicy and the BBQ sauce, although it sounds odd, really makes it unique and delicious. It's only listed officially on their sunday brunch menu (where they serve several varieties of bloody marys), so you have to ask for it specially if you go on another day.

http://www.rubytuesday.com/

Hollywood Florida Bloody Mary

This one almost didn't make it....we were sitting outdoors at a cute little dive bar in Hollywood, FL on the boardwalk watching the bloody mary's we'd all ordered coming toward us. Then the tray tilted just a bit and one of them exploded all over the floor of the bar. The one that DID make it was delicious. Lots of nice garnish, rimmed with Old Bay and a great mix. Wish I could recall the name of that dive bar.....

Hollywood, FL boardwalk.....unknown dive bar

TGIFriday's Spicy Bloody Mary

For a standard chain restaraunt, this was actually very spicy. Loved the garnish and the thick texture. Very good overall...... This one came from Dulles Airport waiting for our departure flight.

http://www.tgifridays.com/