Blog Posts
National Bloody Mary Day is January 1st! Yup. After all that New Year’s Eve partying, and after you drag yourself out of bed on New Year’s Day, brunch sounds good, and a bit of hair of the dog sounds even better. That’s where Bloody Marys come in. Versatile and delicious, a Bloody Mary is the perfect beverage for New Year’s Day, starting with brunch, all through the daily football games, family and friends gatherings, and more. Celebrate National Bloody Mary Day with the rest of the country. Setting up your own build-a-Bloody-bar is a fun treat for brunch, and easy to organize. Provide the mixer (your own or your favorite canned/bottled), the alcohol (vodka, tequila), and all the spices and garnishes – string cheese, sausage sticks, celery, limes and lemons, olives, hot sauce, shrimp, pickled asparagus, and whatever else you can think of. And don’t forget the chaser! Shorty beers are your friend on this day of all days. You can even go a step further and make Bloody Mary Deviled Eggs! Don’t feel like making your own? Easy! Click here to visit WiscoMary for places to find a Bloody Mary in Wisconsin! So, Happy New Year, Happy New Decade, and most of all, Happy Bloody Mary Day, from WiscoMary to all of you! May all your upcoming Bloodies be awesome! -WiscoMaryMJ -WiscoMaryChristin #itsabloodyadventure Read More »
Milwaukee’s Largest Bloody Mary Party
Southeastern Wisconsin, Milwaukee County
Arrival
On November 17, WiscoMaryMJ, WiscoMaryJoe, and WiscoMaryChristin were on hand to represent WiscoMary at Milwaukee’s Largest Bloody Mary Party and Food Drive For Hunger Task Force at Great Lakes Distillery (616 W. Virginia St., Milwaukee).
It was a great day for a fun and fantastic event. We arrived around 9:30 am to set up our table in the distillery, then wandered around talking to employees and volunteers, and also the CBS Channel 58 cameraman they sent to video the event. We gave out business cards and stickers to everyone, and our sticker was added to the Wall of Local Businesses!
When 10 am came, it was time to welcome everyone and pick volunteers to stir Milwaukee’s Largest Bloody Mary, made with, of course, Rehorst Vodka. WiscoMaryJoe was the first volunteer, and donned his paper hat and gave the Bloody Mary a lot of stirs.
Stirring Milwaukee’s Largest Bloody Mary Mix
The Event
Then, it was time to DRINK! $7 got you 3 tickets – one for the Bloody Mary (with lemons, limes, and a variety of hot sauces to choose from), one for the garnishes (a green olive, a pickle, a hunk of Cheddar cheese, and a beef stick), and the third got you a chaser of Chaser Beer! That’s right – Great Lakes Distillery teamed up with MobCraft Brewery to create a beer specifically as a chaser for a Bloody Mary! It was a little hoppy, but pleasant.
We donated to the Hunger Task Force, so we also got a book of Bingo cards. Bingo was very fun and hosted by drag queens. Neither WiscoMary MJ nor WiscoMary Christin won, but WiscoMary Joe won a bottle of alcohol of his choice! They took him upstairs to the store to choose what he wanted (bourbon), and everyone was happy.
Entertainment
After the first round of Bingo, the band Sound Effect played and we drank more Bloody Marys, MobCraft Chaser chasers, and ate Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. We also took pictures with giant cutouts of Bloody Mary garnishes (sausage, cheese, celery).
Milwaukee’s Largest Bloody Mary Party event ended a little after 3, and, after having a great time and mission accomplished, we left.
It was an excellent Bloody Adventure!
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Northcentral Wisconsin
Dodge, Waupaca, Shawano, and Marathon Counties
On October 9, WiscoMaryMJ and WiscoMaryChristin got up very early for a 17-hour Bloody Adventure around Wisconsin.
Our first stop was Theresa, WI. This picturesque little community boasts the home of Widmer’s Cheese Cellars (214 W. Henni St.). The charming Swiss chalet-type building was bursting with cheese goodness when we walked in the door. The history of the place was on the walls, and coolers and a deli case held cheese, sausage, and more cheese.
We had a front-row view of the large cheesemaking vats as the workers went about their craft. It was fascinating to watch. We sampled the various types of cheeses, purchased our favorites, then continued on our way.
Our next destination was The Evanswood Village Shops to stop into The Wild Grape Wine Company (N1567 US-10, Weyauwega), a liquor store with an eclectic selection of spirits. We were on the hunt for Referent’s Horseradish Vodka (made in New Holland, WI with Wisconsin horseradish), but unfortunately, it was sold out. We did pick out a selection of Bloody Mary mixes, Moonshine brand Dill Pickles, Pickleback, and vodka.
On the road and a short drive to Weyauwega Star Dairy (109 N. Mill St.). We browsed the selection of cheeses, meats, and liquor, and picked up more Bloody Mary mix, cheese, and meat. Tours were not available, so we were a little disappointed.
After a very full morning, we were READY for a Bloody Mary! We chose to stay in Weyauwega, and found Haufschildt’s Brew Haus (111 E. Main St.). We ordered Bloody Marys, which were made with Major Peters’ Bloody Mary Mix, horseradish, Tabasco sauce, and celery salt, and topped with green olives, dill pickle, pickled cocktail onion, and a pickled Brussels sprout. We both had Old Style as our chaser. We decided lunch was in order, too, and had the comfort food staple – Grilled cheese with bacon and pub fries. Everything hit the spot, the bartender was amusing, and the patrons even more amusing. It was a perfect break before our drive to the next spot in Wittenberg.
After a drive through the pretty countryside and farming communities, we knew we were getting close to Nueske’s (1390 E. Grand Ave.) when we began seeing the Nueske’s old fashioned panel trucks parked on the side of the road.
Walking into Nueske’s smoke-scented shop was pure heaven. A long deli case full of smoked meats of every kind greeted us on our right, and coolers and freezer cases lined the walls and the aisles. Shelves stacked with candy, Big Buck Bloody Mary Mix, Nan’s Bloody Mary Mix, soda, BBQ and hot sauces, and maple syrup were also present. We had a terrific meeting with the store manager, who was extremely passionate about both Nueske’s and, happily, Bloody Marys! We got some great samples of sausage sticks and Landjaeger from him, and we bought the aforementioned Bloody Mary mixes, as well as several types of smoked meat.
Then it was time to leave, and head for our last destination in Wausau. We found Timekeeper Distillery (720 Grant St.) in the late afternoon. It’s housed in a repurposed train station that was built in 1901. Years of work went into it, and it shows.
We had a great meeting with Dan and Kimm Webber, the owners and distillers. They are passionate about their product and also about Wisconsin and Wisconsin products. We chose to stop here for two reasons – because we heard about their small, hand-crafted vodka, and because of their signature Bloody Mary – The Black and Bloody Umami Bloody Mary.
We took a tour of the distillery and learned about Timekeeper’s attention to detail and their passion for creating these fine spirits. The collection consists of Vodka, Gin, and Rye Whiskey.
The Black and Bloody Umami Bloody Mary was the brainchild of Dan and his across-the-street restaurant neighbor, Chef Joe Thomas. Chef Joe owns Black Umami Garlic Company, and after tasting his Black Umami Garlic Burger, Dan decided Black Umami Garlic would be the perfect addition to his hand-crafted Bloody Mary. And he was right. Black Umami Garlic adds richness, smokiness, and depth to an already fresh and fantastic Bloody Mary. Timekeeper Distillery Bloody Marys are made with vodka or botanical gin and topped with a pickle, marinated cocktail onion, and a cheese curd. Each Bloody Mary takes a few minutes to make, and they are $10 each.
After that fantastic Bloody Mary, WiscoMaryChristin, always the nerd, opted for a second craft cocktail called the Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde, which was gin-based and changed color. It was topped with a Pac-Man shaped lemon wedge. WiscoMaryMJ had a custom-made bourbon-based cocktail stirred by bartender Jameson. They shared a flatbread pizza, as well.
Then it was time to head back home. It was a long, fun-filled Bloody Adventure!
We can’t wait to do it again.
Waukesha, Jefferson, and Rock Counties
This past weekend (9/7 & 9/8), WiscoMary went on a Bloody Adventure! to the far reaches of Waukesha County and into Jefferson County.
We had previously been to Kuhtz General Store and Saloon (W335 N6939 Stone Bank Rd., Oconomowoc), and we made the trip again this past Saturday not just because they serve a solid Bloody, but for their weekend food special – the oh-so-Wisconsin Cannibal Sandwich! This is also known as Raw Beef and Onions on Rye.
WiscoMary Christin paired it with potato chips, a dill pickle, and a Bloody Maria. It was also offered with a slice of Pepperjack Cheese, which was a new ingredient to us, and WiscoMary MJ tried it this way and pronounced it very good.
One of the things we love about this location is the friendliness of the small town of Stone Bank. We had only been there once before, but upon arrival, everyone greeted us warmly and welcomed us back.
Another reason to return was the option to upgrade to a “top shelf” pour for our Bloody Marys for either .50 cents or a dollar. On the last visit, WiscoMary MJ had anchovy-stuffed olives, and on the second visit, regular olives, so if you love anchovies, make sure to request them.
Here is the video of our Bloodies being made by Savannah.
After that, we decided to head for the next-closest county and wound up driving to Jefferson County. We stopped in the town of Lake Mills, at Sportsman’s Pub on the Park (129 N. Main St.) in Lake Mills, WI to take a break, stretch our legs, and maybe find a Bloody.
The place was jammed, and we managed to get some information from the definitely-in-the-weeds bartender about their Bloodies. They make their own mix, it comes with just a dill pickle and no chaser. “No fancy-schmancy stuff”, is how she put it. Their Sunday Special is $3 Bloodies all day.
Seeing how busy they were, we opted to skip partaking in their Bloody, but we did ask a couple at a nearby table how they liked them. They said it was a decent, simple Bloody, and then gave us a tip that put us back on the road and heading towards Janesville, to Newville (Edgerton), right on the Rock River.
Anchor (718 WI-59) was a welcoming place, with light-wood everything, 2 stories, lots of windows overlooking the Rock River, outdoor seating, a boat launch, the Badger game on TV, and best of all – a wide variety of exotic Bloodies!
We were too late (it was after 1 pm) to get the “Meat Lover’s” (Hamburger Slider, Bacon-wrapped Hot Dog, Chicken Tender, Chicken Wing, Summer Sausage and Cheese skewer $15, Sat/Sun only until 1 pm), and WiscoMary Christin was disappointed, but made the best of it by opting for the “Grilled Cheese” (An entire Grilled Cheese Sandwich cut into wedges, with the option to add Ham or Turkey, and a choice of Cheddar or Swiss $12). It was the perfect late lunch. The mix was homemade, and in our opinion a little sweet, but still very good. Sacramento was offered as an alternative.
WiscoMary MJ opted for the “Anchors Weekend” (Celery, Sweet Pickle, Lime, Lemon, Green Olive, Hard Boiled Egg, Summer Sausage and Cheese skewer, and a choice of Hamburger Slider or Chicken Wing $9).
WiscoMary MJ upgraded her Bloody with Absolut Citron and doctored it with extra Worcestershire Sauce, and WiscoMary Christin upgraded with Patron Blanco Tequila. There were no chasers included. The bartender offered to sell us a beer of our choice separately, but we declined. The Bloody was enough!
The other Bloody Marys were the “Heart Attack Sampler” (Deep Fried: Chicken Tender, Wing, Jalapeno Popper, Mushroom, Onion Ring, Cheese Curd, and a Mozzarella Stick $14), the “Anchors Weekday” (Celery, Sweet Pickle, Lime, Lemon, Olive, Hard Boiled Egg, and Summer Sausage and Cheese skewer $8), and the “Plain Jane” (a single Celery stick $7).
After watching the Badger ass-kicking of the Chippewas, we made the trek back home, fully satisfied with the day.
On Sunday, the power went out at WiscoMary HQ, and when it came on again, WiscoMary MJ celebrated with a Bloody Mary of her own creation.
Below is a Michelada with Sacramento Bloody Mary Mix, Summer Shanty, and Tajin seasoning plus a little diablo sauce for spice.
All in all, a great Bloody Adventure!
Check back again soon for the next one – Cheers!
#itsabloodyadventure #wiscomary #bloodymary
Why Did We Create A Bloody Mary Website?
It was time to get out of the office!
WiscoMaryChristin and WiscoMaryMJ have been working together for 5 years and knew each other before that as early adopters of social media.
We were working for clients, and decided one day to do something for ourselves. We love the Food and Beverage industry and Bloody Marys. We are marketers and influencers, and on one of our research findings, we discovered that Wisconsin is #1 for the search term “Bloody Mary.”
Search and Statistics
In Wisconsin, we love our Bloody Marys, and now we had proof. That, plus everything that goes into this amazing red concoction, can be sourced in our great state. Most times when we spoke with a patron, bartender, or venue about their Bloodies, their eyes lit up and off they went describing their version of the drink. People here are very opinionated and descriptive of how they like their version of this cocktail.
We searched social media and found a crazy amount of selfies with people and their favorite trophy #reddrink. On Instagram alone, we found 1.5 million posts just for that one search term. In our online search, we found a treasure trove of books and recipes, but no directory.
Google is a great place to search; however, it is location-based and will only show local establishments if their website contains the words “Bloody Mary(s) near me” or someone mentions the term in a post. What was missing was a comprehensive guide for Bloody Marys across the state.
By creating an atlas for one of Wisconsin’s favorite drinks, we can bring value and joy to visitors, venues, and producers that love Bloody Marys.
Join us on our quest as we travel the state of Wisconsin and follow along with our ongoing #itsabloodyadventure series, where we uncover great places for you to visit that serve a terrific Bloody Mary!
Cheers!
-WiscoMaryChristin and WiscoMaryMJ
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