Bloody Mary mix substitutes

The real rebuild. Tomato juice supplies body and savoury sweetness, and the additions supply the salt, acid, heat and umami depth that make it a cocktail rather than a glass of juice.

Best for

single drinks, batching a pitcher for brunch, anyone who wants to control the heat, Bloody Marias with tequila

Fresher, brighter and less sugary than most bottled mixes, which tend to be sweet and rely on a generic peppery bite. The homemade version tastes more clearly of tomato and lemon, and the horseradish gives a clean sinus heat rather than a flat burn. Stir hard and let it sit ten minutes before serving so the salt dissolves and the horseradish blooms; it tastes markedly better after resting.

Already a seasoned savoury juice, so it starts closer to the finish line than plain tomato juice does. Salt and celery are already in it.

Best for

the fastest possible Bloody Mary, brunch for a crowd, when you cannot find tomato juice

Tastes rounder and more vegetal than a tomato-only mix, with clear carrot and celery sweetness underneath, so the drink is slightly sweeter and less sharply tomato. It is already salted, so leave out the celery salt and taste before adding any. Spicy versions of these blends can be surprisingly hot, so go easy on additional hot sauce until you have tried a sip.

A pantry rescue that works well because tomato juice and thinned tomato sauce are close relatives. Passata, being uncooked and unseasoned, is the best of these.

Best for

when there is no juice in the house, single drinks, cooking uses such as a Bloody Mary style pasta sauce or steak marinade

Thicker and more concentrated in flavour, so the drink comes out fuller-bodied and tastes cooked rather than fresh, more like a chilled soup than a juice. Push the water to 1.25 parts if it feels heavy. Check the label first: a jarred pasta-style tomato sauce carries garlic, herbs and often sugar, which will make the drink taste distinctly Italian. Plain tomato sauce or passata is the one you want.

The longest-life option, since a tube or tin of paste keeps for months. Whisk the paste into a splash of water first to make a smooth slurry, then dilute the rest of the way, or it will stay lumpy.

Best for

emergency single drinks, camping and travel, very small quantities

Deeper, darker and noticeably more concentrated than juice, with a cooked, almost roasted tomato flavour and a slightly gritty body if you do not whisk it properly. The drink benefits from more lemon than usual, about a full teaspoon per 4 ounces, to cut through that concentration. Straining through a fine sieve improves the texture considerably.

Tomato juice already blended with clam broth, salt and spices, which is the base of a Bloody Caesar rather than a Bloody Mary. In much of Canada this is the default.

Best for

Bloody Caesars, Micheladas, anyone who likes a briny savoury drink

Saltier, thinner and distinctly savoury with a clear marine, oceanic edge that a tomato-only mix does not have. The drink tastes deeper and more umami-rich and needs less Worcestershire as a result. It is not vegetarian, since it contains clam broth. Skip the added celery salt and taste before salting, because Clamato is already well seasoned.

Unexpected but genuinely good, especially gazpacho, which is already a cold savoury tomato drink with vinegar, garlic and cucumber in it.

Best for

brunch when the fridge holds leftovers, a more vegetal, savoury drink, Bloody Mary shooters

Gazpacho gives a thicker, more textured drink with obvious cucumber, pepper and garlic notes, and its vinegar already covers the acid, so cut the lemon by half. It is a delicious drink but noticeably not a classic Bloody Mary. Use a plain tomato soup rather than a condensed cream of tomato, which will turn the drink pink, sweet and unpleasantly rich.

Essentially making your own tomato juice, which takes two minutes with a blender and tastes better than the tinned juice on the shelf.

Best for

when you have tinned tomatoes but no juice, batching for several drinks, controlling the salt completely

Fresher and much fruitier than commercial juice, with real tomato sweetness, though the texture is pulpy until you push it through a sieve. Whole peeled tomatoes give the cleanest result; crushed tomatoes are quicker but coarser. Because tinned tomatoes are usually unsalted, you will need more salt than the formula above, closer to ¼ teaspoon per 4 ounces.