Mexico has its own approach to the Bloody Mary, and it does not pretend the drink is separate from food. The coctel de camaron — a chilled shrimp cocktail served in a tall sundae glass with Clamato, lime, and hot sauce — is essentially a Bloody Mary you eat with a long spoon. This recipe combines the two: a proper Bloody Mary base with the shrimp-and-avocado architecture of a coctel.
This is one of those drinks that confuses people for about thirty seconds and then becomes their favorite version of the genre. It is also, not coincidentally, the version that Clamato was practically engineered to make.
Coctel de Camaron Bloody Mary
Makes 1 large or 2 small · Prep 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 6 oz Clamato
- 1.5 oz vodka (or skip — see notes)
- Juice of 1 lime, plus 1 lime wedge for garnish
- 6 large shrimp, peeled, deveined, poached, and chilled
- ¼ avocado, diced into ½-inch cubes
- 2 tbsp diced red onion
- 1 small Roma tomato, diced
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- 3 dashes Mexican hot sauce (Valentina or Tapatío)
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- Fresh black pepper
- For the rim: 1 tbsp Tajín seasoning
Instructions
- Rim a tall sundae or pint glass with Tajín, using a lime wedge to wet the rim.
- Whisk together Clamato, lime juice, vodka, hot sauce, salt, and black pepper in a measuring cup.
- Fill the glass halfway with ice.
- Pour the Clamato mixture over the ice until the glass is two-thirds full.
- Layer the shrimp, avocado, red onion, diced tomato, and cilantro on top — pile it visibly above the rim.
- Garnish with a lime wedge. Serve with both a long spoon and a straw. Eat the shrimp and avocado as you drink.
Notes
Vodka is optional. The traditional Mexican coctel de camaron is non-alcoholic, served at beach bars and seafood restaurants. Add the vodka if you’re making it as a brunch cocktail; skip it if you want the classic.
Shrimp poaching: bring a small pot of salted water to a simmer (not a boil), add the shrimp, and cook 2 to 3 minutes until just opaque. Drain and chill in an ice bath. Don’t skip the ice bath — overcooked shrimp ruin the drink.
Tajín: a Mexican chile-lime-salt seasoning. Available almost everywhere now. If you absolutely can’t find it, mix kosher salt with chile powder and a pinch of citric acid (or lemon zest).
The first version of this drink I had was on a Yucatán beach at noon, and I have been chasing the sensation ever since. There is something about the combination of cold seafood, cold tomato, lime, and chile that makes everything else about brunch feel like a compromise. Make it once and you will understand why an entire coastline drinks this and nothing else.
A note on this post: I worked with an AI writing tool to help shape and refine some of the language here. The Yucatán beach noon that started this obsession is entirely my own.
Leave a Reply