Bloody Mary

2 oz. vodka 4 oz. low-sodium tomato juice ½ oz. fresh lime juice 3 dashes Tabasco sauce 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce 1 dash of sea salt 1 dash of black pepper 1 stalk of celery 1 lemon or lime 1. Toss In Extra Flavors The building blocks of a Bloody Mary are six parts tomato juice, three parts vodka, and one part lemon-lime juice. Those three components each cover the dominant tastes and pack a nutritious punch, but it’s the other ingredients that give the drink its zing—and extra health benefits. 2. Stay Cool Every Bloody Mary should be served on ice—no ifs, ands, or buts, explains Da Costa. “Having the drink ice cold slows down the ingredients’ chemical reactions, especially the acids in tomato juice and lemon-lime juice. The quicker that the acidic components react with other ingredients, the more the drink becomes soupy, bitter, and less flavorful,” he says. “You’re going to go from fresh tomato juice to more of a tomato soup when it warms up, and that’s no good.” 3. Use Premium Tomato Juice Since tomato juice makes up the majority of the Bloody Mary, you want to make sure you use the best stuff you can find. While squeezing juice out of your own tomatoes is the best option, it’s also time-consuming. A quicker plan: Try R.W. Knudsen’s, Campbell’s, or Red Gold’s tomato juices, all of which are easy to get in grocery stores and are packed with nutrients. Tomatoes—one of our 40 foods with superpowers—are chock full of lycopene, a prostate protector that helps eliminate skin-aging free radicals caused by ultraviolet rays and prevents the harmful buildup of cholesterol on artery walls. 4. Pour in Mid-Grade Vodka When it comes time to add vodka to the mix, don’t reach for the Grey Goose. “It’s not worth putting an expensive boutique vodka in your Bloody Mary because there are already so many flavors that just mask the taste Pour in no more than 3 ounces, or two shots—the equivalent of two drinks in the U.S., which is the max daily amount recommended by doctors. (Read about the health benefits of alcohol here.) Need suggestions? Try one of these cucumber-infused vodkas. Combine 2 ounces of vodka, 4 ounces of low-sodium tomato juice (organic if you can get it), and a half-ounce of fresh lime juice. Spice it up with three dashes of Tabasco sauce and two dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Mix well, add salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with a stalk of celery and a slice of lemon or lime.