a number of options. Nami—Pangaea Grill’s sibling restaurant, located in Monterey—packs a similar mealtime punch. There is general agreement that it is the drink’s filling punch that accounts for its popularity and longevity: You’ve got what you need to get the day started. As humorists have suggested, if there’s a cause, there’s a cure—so why not put both in one glass? Of course, the Bloody Mary began as a nonalcoholic pick-me-up, then as a bit of triage with a kick. And some people were put off by the name. It is said that Vincent Astor (yes, of the Gilded Age Astors) considered it rather coarse, preferring Red Snapper instead. Others adopted Morning Glory. Whatever the name, by the 1950s, it had found its way into the brunch lineup, which is when someone had the idea to stir it with a celery stalk. Dissertations could be written about the origins of the drink—one tale attributes the recipe to Vaudeville star George Jessel—and entire libraries devoted to its many recipes. Sandbar’s mix includes Dijon mustard, three different hot sauces and horseradish, just for starters. Robert Hess, author of The Essential Bartenders Guide and a founder of the Museum of the American Cocktail, calls the Bloody Mary “the meatloaf of the cocktail world.” And nowadays, bartenders take that notion literally. Once celery was introduced, bartenders soon realized the advantages of other components. Pickles amplify the zing of some mixes while tempering the fire of hot sauce. Olives blend into the earthiness of Worcestershire sauce. Admittedly, when the glass is overloaded, it can take a while to dine your way to the Bloody Mary itself. When prepared well, however, the garnishes are complementary additions. The Pangaea and the Supreme Plaza Mary use the cocktail and its rubbed rim to layer flavors to the sausage, meatballs, shrimp or whatever else—and vice versa. And the drink becomes its own reward, capping the meal with a ruddy, sweet and tangy sip grounded by a flickering heat. Even Estéban’s build-your-own model frames the cocktail. Guests receive a checklist from which they can select a base spirit and proteins, ranging from meatballs or chorizo to anchovies. Finally, there is a choice of rim salts. The bar itself is like a carnival midway of cocktail additions on one table. Taps can pour classic Bloody Mary mix, clamato or carrot juice—or some of each. There are pickled vegetables. And jars brimming with chiles, olives, horseradish and such, rows of hot sauce and bitters, along with shakers of dill, celery seed and other herbs and spices. At nooks such as From Scratch in Carmel on the other hand, the rub speaks volumes, and they lay it on denser than most. The possibilities are technically not endless. But the end result is what each guest wants, brunch in a tall glass, and a conversation started. It is this ability to expand or contract that has kept the Bloody Mary on menus while other cocktails come and go according to the whims of the day. But Leavitt remains an advocate of the mix itself and its ability to awaken the palate. As for the meats and other accoutrements, at Sandbar, “We put them on the plate instead.” Stillwater 44 THE BEST OF MONTEREY BAY ® EAT + DRINK 2026-2027 SAN SABA VINEYARD 4 Decades of Great Wines 2023 Wrath Pinot Noir Tondre Grapefield 97PTS EDITOR’S CHOICE INTERNATIONAL WINE REPORT 2023 Wrath Pinot Noir Boekenoogen Vineyard 96PTS THE WINE PALATE wrathwines.com 831-678-2212
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