Today, Bloody Mary cocktails are served at bars and restaurants around the world with each bartender adding his or her own twist to the tradition. Here are two great examples from Bay Area mixologists.

Camper English San Francisco cocktail writer and speaker; author of 2023’s “The Ice Book: Cool Cubes, Clear Spheres, and Other Chill Cocktail Crafts”

From the mixologist: He doesn’t care too much about the quality of the spirit. What he does care about, very much, is that the finished drink has no bits of horseradish or other solids. For that reason, he infuses his own vodka with spicy ingredients. “You strain that and use the spicy vodka, rather than have all these chunks floating around in your drink,” he says. “I don’t even like flakes of black pepper floating on the surface, because it’s going to stick on your lips, and you’re going to look like a fool.”

The technique: “At home I’m pretty lazy, and I will just pour it all together in a glass with ice and give it a stir with a straw,” English says. “I actually drink my Bloody Marys with a straw, which is super-trashy, but that’s just me.”

Garnishes: English believes garnishes are basically just a fun little snack with your cocktail. “I know it’s all about getting as ridiculous as possible, with half a baked chicken and a cheeseburger on top, but I don’t know if I consider any garnishes as essential,” he says. “I enjoy pickled veggies or olives, personally.”

Infused Bloody Mary (Code name: Blood Thinner)

INGREDIENTS

1/3 to 1/2 part infused vodka (instructions below), ideally chilled

2/3 to 1/2 part chilled tomato juice, or vegetable juice such as V8

Splash of green olive, peperoncini or other pickled-vegetable brine

DIRECTIONS

Add ingredients to a Collins glass filled with ice cubes, swirl with a straw and drink. Garnish as you wish!

Infused vodka: Add roughly one tablespoon of a spicy ingredient (peppercorns, peperoncini, chile peppers, jalapeño peppers, horseradish, wasabi paste, etc.) to 1 cup of vodka and let infuse overnight. Strain out the solids. “I like to make a few separate infusions and blend them together. If it comes out too spicy, add more uninfused vodka to thin it,” says English.

Jennifer Seidman Owner of Acme Bar & Company, Berkeley; consultant for Little Bird Bar, Oakland

From the mixologist: “The whole idea of a hangover cure is you’re trying to even your body out from last night’s festivities and get some nourishment,” Seidman says.

The technique: “The easiest way to think about a Bloody Mary is that it’s like a tomato sauce, which you want to build umami flavor in by seasoning with oregano, garlic, onions and black pepper,” says Seidman.

For the classic version, she adds horseradish, Worcestershire, Tabasco, celery salt and Old Bay Seafood Seasoning. At Oakland’s Little Bird, a new pickle-centric bar, they use Clamato and a housemade probiotic brine from yellow bell peppers. She doesn’t like spiciness, so she adjusts the heat level for the customer post-mixing.

Garnishes: Acme built a reputation for the ridiculous number of condiments that towered on its Bloody Marys, like Leaning Food Towers of Pisa. One notable example had pickles, cucumber, shrimp, cheese, pepperoni, black olives, more cured meat, half a hard boiled egg and a meatball slider with tomato sauce and even more cheese. “If you Google ‘crazy Bloody Marys,’ there are people who will get a whole fried chicken on it, which if you’re hungover would be awesome,” she says.

Acme’s Bloody Mary Mix

INGREDIENTS

About 1 teaspoon horseradish, or to taste

1.5 ounces lemon juice

1.5 ounces lime juice

2.5 ounces Worcestershire sauce

0.5 ounce peperoncini juice

4 dashes Tapatio hot sauce

1 tablespoon Sriracha

2 dashes celery salt

2 dashes Old Bay Seafood Seasoning

Pinch of salt

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a large jar and refrigerate until ready to use. To make the Bloody Mary of your choice, measure 2 ounces of your preferred spirit — vodka (Bloody Mary), gin (Red Snapper), tequila (Bloody Maria) or whiskey (Bloody Bull) — into a 10 ounce or more Collins glass or a 16 ounce pint glass. Fill with ice, add Bloody mix to the spirit and stir with a barspoon. Garnish as desired.