City Guide: Cobble Hill, Brooklyn

Brought to You by Demitri's Bloody Mary Mix

Welcome to City Guides, featuring personal recommendations for my favorite neighborhood spots for drinking and eating around New York City and beyond. City Guides is a Friday paid-subscriber exclusive.

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Today’s LAST CALL City Guide is free to all readers thanks to the generous support of Demitri’s Bloody Mary Mix.

The “Meet Demitri’s Kit.” (Photo: Feed It Creative)

With the Super Bowl just over a week away, game day is the the prefect occasion to batch up your own signature Bloody Mary mix and set up an all-day Make Your Own Bloody Mary station. The “Meet Demitri’s Kit,” created by Seattle bartender and Demitri’s Bloody Mary Mix founder Demitri Pallis, has nearly everything you need to give yourself the home-field advantage.

With the “Meet Demitri’s Kit” you can mix and match and customize your Bloody Mary using a quartet of all-natural seasonings (Classic Recipe, Extra Horseradish, Chilies & Peppers, Chipotle Habanero) as well as two tins of garnishing salts (Original RimShot and Bacon RimShot). You’ll even receive a 5-pack of Pepperoni Straws. Just batch your Bloody Mary mix (ideally 24 hours in advance), then set up the spirits of your choice along an array of classic and new-look garnishes. (Just don’t forget to pre-order your hot wings and pizza delivery.)

Demitri’s always offers Free Shipping, but use promo code LASTCALL10 to save 10% off your order. Offer valid through Thursday, February 29, 2024

Up Your Bloody Mary Game with Demitri Pallis

Demitri Pallis (Photo: Feed It Creative)

What is the key component you should expect to see in a great Bloody Mary?

Demitri: Balance is the magic of every good recipe, especially when ingredients come together to create something entirely unique without taking center stage. There can be “ingredient-focused” recipes where the other ingredients complement the main ingredient(s), but there is still balance.

What are your feelings on going beyond vodka as a base spirit? Are you open to using other spirits, and if so which would you recommend?

Demitri: Hell, yeah! I’ve made “Marys” with everything from gin (Red Snapper), tequila and/or mezcal, to Irish whiskey, rum, and even aquavit (which I know you like to use in your Bloody Mary). And, let’s not forget about our northern siblings’ variation and national cocktail in Canada, the Bloody Caesar!

The Bloody Mary garnish has (literally) reached new levels of abundance with "toppings" including shrimp, fried chicken, kielbasa, bacon, cheese curds, and more towering over the drink itself. Do you prefer something more austere and classic or a bit more adventurous?

Demitri: Garnishes really all depend on the occasion. For brunch in a bar, you gotta have the sliders, wings, jalapeño poppers, onion rings, and all that. Use local ingredients either as part of the garnishes, or as the entire garnish. I also like to just look in the fridge and see what kind of stuff I already have on hand. Sometimes making something fit a particular occasion only takes one more ingredient. Add a prawn for Bloodies on the beach, bacon and a cucumber wheel for breakfast with the in-laws, or bacon and a pickle spear for the big game. Personally, I always like finding a celery stick in there somewhere no matter the occasion.

Any tips on batching-up your Bloody Mary for a party (like the Super Bowl)?

Demitri: Yes! Do it at least 24 hours before the game. Just like lasagna, it’s always better the second day. Give some thought to what kind of containers you’re going to “marinate” your batch in, and then what kind of container you’re going to use to dispense from. Bloody Mary mix likes to be cold, never let it get warm. A container with a tight-fitting lid that you can keep in the cooler works great.

I'm a strong believer in the no Bloody Marys after-sunset. Do you have any thoughts on the best time to make/drink/order a Bloody Mary?

Demitri: Well, most people don’t do shots of tequila for breakfast, but there’s always some wisecracker out there that likes to push it. Kinda like red wine with white fish, if you dig it, do it. That said, I generally like having my Bloody Marys between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Unless I’m catching a 7 a.m. flight to the Bahamas…

Demitri’s always offers Free Shipping, but use promo code LASTCALL10 to save 10% off your order. Offer valid through Thursday, February 29, 2024

Recipe: BTP Bloody Mary

BTP Bloody Mary (Photo: BTP)

I recently gave the “Meet Demitri’s Kit” a test drive to mix up my own bespoke Bloody Mary at home. Prime Meats (now Frank’s Wine Bar) in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, first hipped me to using aquavit instead of vodka in their house Bloody Mary and that extra caraway kick is most welcome in a savory drink like this. Any aquavit you have on hand will do, but to keep things grounded in the Pacific Northwest using Demitri’s Bloody Mary seasonings from Seattle, I reached for Krogstad Festlig Aquavit made in Portland, Oregon, by my friend and master distiller Christian Krogstad.

There’s a lot of commercial tomato juice options out there but since this key ingredient makes up most of the drink, seek out a quality product like Pomì Tomato Juice or Bianco DiNapoli Vine-Ripened Organic Tomato Juice for best results.

The Demitri’s Classic Bloody Mary Seasoning I used to spice up the drink included Worcestershire sauce, jalapeño pepper purée, secret spices, red pepper hot sauce, vinegar, and prepared horseradish. And Demitri’s Original Rimshot! added layered aromatics and flavor from the proprietary blend of Hawaiian sea salts, smoked salts, dried pepper, and celery seed (and a few secret ingredients).

And do as they do in Wisconsin and serve your Bloody Mary with a “snit,” a short sidecar of beer, whether a Miller High Life pony or a small, 3-ounce glass of beer

Makes 1 Drink

For Rimming

• Lemon Juice

• Demitri’s Original Rim Shot! Spiced Rim Salt

For Mixing

• 1-2 ounces Krogstad Festlig Aquavit

• 6 ounces Bianco DiNapoli Vine-Ripened Organic Tomato Juice

• 1 ounce Demitri’s Classic Recipe All-Natural Bloody Mary Seasoning

• Garnish: Celery Stalk, Lemon Wedge, Cucumber Wheel, Hot Pickled Cherry Pepper, 2 Castelvetrano Olives & Cherry Tomato (skewered), 3 Hot Soppressata Slices & Pickled Pepperoncini (skewered), Grated Fresh Horseradish, Demitri’s Pepperoni Straw

Gently moisten the rim of a 12-16 ounce glass with the lemon wedge, then press into a saucer of Demitri’s Original Rim Shot! Spiced Rim Salt.

Combine the aquavit, tomato juice, and Demitri’s Classic Recipe All-Natural Bloody Mary Seasoning in a shaker tin. Roll the ingredients back and forth into another shaker tin several times to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared glass filled with ice. Garnish with skewered cured meats and fresh and pickled vegetables, along with a lemon wedge, celery stale, and freshly grated horseradish.

Serve the Bloody Mary with a Demitri’s Pepperoni Straw and three-ounce beer chaser, or "snit."

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City Guide: Cobble Hill, Brooklyn

Cobble Hill Cinemas. (Photo: Marco De Nichilo)

Today’s LAST CALL City Guide continues our quest through Brooklyn, following Red Hook and the Columbia Street Waterfront District with Cobble Hill.