Bloody Mary Mix substitute

Substitutes for Bloody Mary Mix with ratios

1. 2Vegetable juice blend such as V8

   Different taste

   Use the same amount plus hot sauce and Worcestershire to taste

   Already a seasoned savoury juice, so it starts closer to the finish line than plain tomato juice does.

   What changes

   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.

2. 3Tomato sauce, passata or tomato puree thinned with water

   Taste and texture differ

   1 part sauce to 1 part cold water, then season as above

   A pantry rescue that works well because tomato juice and thinned tomato sauce are close relatives.

   What changes

   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.

3. 4Tomato paste whisked into water

   Taste and texture differ

   Use 3 tbsp tomato paste for every 1 cup cold water, then season

   The longest-life option, since a tube or tin of paste keeps for months.

   What changes

   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.

4. 5Clamato or tomato clam juice

   Taste and texture differ

   Use the same amount

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

   What changes

   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.

5. 6Chilled tomato soup or gazpacho

   Taste and texture differ

   Use the same amount thinned with a splash of water if thick

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

   What changes

   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.

6. 7Canned whole or crushed tomatoes, blended and strained

   Different texture

   1 can (14 oz) blended with ½ cup water yields about 2 cups of juice

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

   What changes

   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 1/4 teaspoon per 4 ounces.