It’s a Bloody Adventure # 4

SouthWestern Wisconsin – La Crosse County

 

This past Sunday, July 18, 2021, WiscoMaryMJ and WiscoMaryChristin decided to hop in the car early in the morning and head out to La Crosse.

It was a beautiful day, perfect driving weather, and beautiful scenery. They were eager to explore La Crosse, and hopefully, meet up with a fellow Bloody Mary Connoisseur along the way.

They started their day on French Island, which is bordered by the Mississippi River, Lake Onalaska, and the La Crosse River. After some deliberation, they chose to make the first stop at Tom Sawyer’s French Island Bar & Grill. A typical “boater’s bar”, it was located right on a boat launch, with the laid-back island vibe and decor to match. Indoor and outdoor seating, and beautiful water views. They were doing a brisk business selling breakfast, to-go mini bottles of booze for the boaters, and of course, Bloody Marys.

They each ordered a Bloody Mary, which was made with a locally-made Bloody mix called Great River Bloody Mary Mix. As luck would have it, Jeff, the owner and creator of said mix, stopped in to drop off a few gallons of mix while they were there, and they were able to chat about Bloody Marys, his business, and his own mix, which he makes and supplies to several bars and restaurants throughout the area. Each place has its own particular mix, Jeff explained. He makes hundreds of gallons a month for his customers.

The Tom Sawyer Bloody Mary comes with a hunk of pepperjack cheese, a slice of pepperoni, a pimento-stuffed green olive, and is topped off with a pickle. A chaser isn’t served, but if you ask, you’ll get a shorty Miller Lite.

They were deciding where to go next, when WiscoMaryMJ got a text that Greg Tooke of MyBigFatBloodyMary.com would be happy to meet up with them at Del’s bar in La Crosse, which happened to be on the list of stops, so they hopped in the car and headed over.

Del’s Bar was established in 1933, and is located in a quiet section of downtown La Crosse. It’s a noted Bloody Mary bar, being featured in several books, winner of many Bloody Mary contests, and even appears in an NPR interview.

It is Bloody Mary Central for Bloody Mary lovers – everything about this place is Bloodies, Bloodies, and MORE Bloodies! They have 12 Bloody Marys posted on the wall, and you can upgrade those. They even offer a Bloody Mary Pizza, if you get hungry! WiscoMaryMJ and WiscoMaryChristin were quite beside themselves trying to choose.

WiscoMaryMJ finally decided to go big, and ordered the Bloody Mary Royale – Del’s original Bloody, with garnishes “fit for a king” (QUEEN!) – Holmen beef jerky stick, pickled egg, pickled Brussels sprout, pickle, pimento-stuffed green olive, and a hunk of pepperjack cheese. It included a chaser of any tap beer. She chose a local IPA, Rumpshaker, by Pearl Street Brewery. WiscoMaryMJ’s favorite part of this Bloody was that they skewered the egg on a sturdy straw and sprinkled it with seasoning, which made it easy to gnaw on.

WiscoMaryChristin couldn’t stop laughing at the name “Slutty Bloody”, so OF COURSE, that’s what she ordered. It was gin, tequila, Absolut Peppar, cucumber vodka, and lemon and lime juice. It came with a pickled Brussels sprout, pepper cheese, pimento-stuffed green olive, and a pickle spear. A local cream ale, Leaping Lemur by Hillsboro Brewing Company, was the chosen chaser.

While they were sipping on their Bloodies, Greg walked in with his son. He immediately ordered a standard Del’s Original Bloody Mary. From then on, the conversation was all about Bloodies! Where to go, where else to go, his website, their website, upcoming Bloody events, and more.

The duo decided that the next stop would be La Crosse Distillery, but then at the last minute changed their minds, and headed to The Breakfast Club & Pub, an 80s-themed eatery, with classic MTV videos playing, along with 80s movies (in this case, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off). They chose to sit at the breakfast bar instead of a table. The Breakfast Club & Pub offered a few different Bloody Marys to choose from, including a “Breakfast Bloody” that is garnished with a wedge of waffle, a breakfast sausage, hard boiled egg, hunk of Shullsburg pepperjack cheese, pimento-stuffed green olive, and a pickle spear. The glass is rimmed with bacon-laced secret-formula celery salt.

The regular Bloody had plenty of Worcestershire Sauce, which WiscoMaryMJ approved of, and was also rimmed with their secret-formula celery salt, which is mixed in 20-lb batches and only 1 person knows the recipe.

They decided to order breakfast (ok….brunch) while they were there. WiscoMaryMJ got the Breakfast Tacos, and WiscoMaryChristin ordered the Breakfast Sandwich.

After that, they waddled off to the car to head to La Crosse Distilling.

La Crosse Distilling is a modern, two-story building with indoor and outdoor seating. The decor is bright, with windows lining the walls, and glass walls inside, so you can see into the distillery itself. The ladies chose to sit at the bar, and ordered a Bloody Mary. It was made with their own house mix, and included plenty of lime juice, which both WiscoMaryMJ and WiscoMaryChristin approved of, as it added a bright, crisp, citrus flavor to the drink. It was made with their own organic vodka, Fieldnotes, an 80-proof organic corn-based liquor. The glass was rimmed with chili lime powder and the chaser was also of their own brew, a Czech pilsner called the Wisco Sidecar Pickled Pilsner, which WiscoMaryChristin especially liked, and took home a few cans for herself.

La Crosse Distilling is very adamant about sustainability and supporting local, and being as organic as possible. They support local farmers for their distilling, their brewery, and the restaurant. They use paper straws, too.

After a short discussion, the WiscoMary ladies decided to make one last quick stop, in Onalaska, to the Skeleton Crew Brew nano-brewery. There, they sampled 4 beers for $6, and WiscoMaryChristin took home two crowlers (32-oz growlers) – one of their Shiver Me Timbers Oatmeal Stout, and one of their Stern Chaser Boysenberry Sour.

Then, it was time to head home. Another Bloody Adventure in the books!

Cheers!

WiscoMaryMJ and WiscoMaryChristin