The
Bloody Bull

Half tomato juice, half cold beef bouillon — a New Orleans brunch tradition. A Bloody Mary that drinks like Sunday morning in the French Quarter.

The Bloody Bull came up out of mid-century New Orleans brunch culture — the same era that gave us three-hour Sundays in the French Quarter and the impulse to make brunch into theater. Beef consommé in a cocktail sounds strange until you taste it. The bouillon’s glutamates amplify every savory note in the drink. The Worcestershire reads louder. The horseradish lands harder. It drinks like a meal — restorative, savory, distinctly New Orleans. This is our take on a tradition that runs through the grand brunch houses of the French Quarter.

• Tomato juice2 oz
• Cold beef bouillon or consommé2 oz
• Vodka (Tito’s, Ketel One, or your house pour)1.5 oz
• Fresh lemon juice½ oz
• Worcestershire sauce3 dashes
• Crystal hot sauce (NOLA’s choice)3 dashes
• Prepared horseradish1 tsp
• Celery salt¼ tsp
• Fresh cracked black pepperto taste
• Celery salt + cracked pepper (for the rim)1 tbsp
• Pickled okra spear1
• Lemon wheel1
• Celery stalk1

1. 1Make the bouillon ahead. Dissolve 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon beef base in 2 oz hot water, then chill in the freezer for 10 minutes until cold. Cold is non-negotiable — warm bouillon melts the ice and ruins the texture.
2. 2Mix celery salt with a half-teaspoon of cracked black pepper on a small plate. Wet the rim of a tall Collins glass with a lemon wedge and press into the blend until evenly coated.
3. 3Fill the glass two-thirds with ice — large cubes if you have them.
4. 4Add the vodka, lemon juice, Worcestershire, Crystal hot sauce, horseradish, celery salt, and several cracks of black pepper directly to the glass.
5. 5Pour in the cold beef bouillon, then top with tomato juice. Stir gently with a long bar spoon — five or six turns. The bouillon will streak through the tomato; do not chase a uniform color.
6. 6Garnish with a pickled okra spear standing in the glass, a lemon wheel on the rim, and a celery stalk. Finish with fresh cracked pepper across the top.