As the old saying goes, you can’t drink all day if you don’t start in the morning. And what better way to kick off a day of debauchery than with a Bloody Mary. Thankfully, Charlotte has plenty of options for the weekend (morning) drink of choice. From full on meals in a glass to creative concoctions to Bloody Mary bars (for the do it yourselfers in the crowd), here’s our guide to the best Bloody Mary’s in Charlotte:
Meals in Glass
These days, it seems like bartenders are tossing everything, including the kitchen sink, into Bloody Marys. I like these because the drink serves as a meal in a glass to help add a layer of sustenance to the stomach for even more drinking.
Head on over to the Improper Pig not for the fusion BBQ the restaurant is known for but for the BAB signature Bloody Mary. The BAB comes stacked with a chicken slider, pork slider, chicken wing, corn fritter, onion ring, strip of bacon, and a pickle (for that finishing touch). The spicy house made mix whips all those crazy toppings together.
For another meal in a glass, check out Moo & Brew. Their 20 oz. Big Bertha with a double shot of vodka is served every day and topped with a jalapeño firecracker, Wisconsin cheese curds, two grilled cheese sandwiches (just because), an angus burger, fried green tomatoes (for that southern touch), and the requisite strip of bacon. Wash the eatable Bloody Mary down with the included Miller High Life sidecar.
More of an appetizer than a meal is the House Mary at Sea Level. The horseradish spiked mix is layered with okra, shrimp, olives, and pickles. The bite sized snack leaves plenty of room for the raw oysters Sea Level is known for.
Twitter: @TheImproperPig, @mooandbrewclt, @sealevelnc
Most Creative
Bloody Marys are no longer limited to vodka. The Workman’s Friend changes up the traditional breakfast treat by mixing bacon infused Jameson with their spicy house-made Bloody Mary mix in their Bloody Jameson. Tupelo Honey substitutes vodka for poblano infused moonshine in their Moonshine Mary. The house made Bloody Mary mix is finished with pimento stuffed olives and a bacon salt rim. RuRu’s Tacos and Tequila lives up to their name with a tequila Bloody Mary called the Olmeca Bloody Maria.
Along the bacon lines is the Bacon Bloody Mary from Terrace Café. Their tomato forward house mix is infused with hickory bacon and black pepper. Of course, it comes served with a crunchy strip of bacon peeking out the top. At Cajun Queen, order the Muddy Waters, a shot sized Bloody Mary with a raw oyster floating in it.
Twitter: @workmansfriend, @tupelohoneycafe, @RuRusTacos, @DineWithTerrace, @CajunQueenCLT
[tweetthis]It’s Bloody Mary Time! Top Places To Get One of These Delicious Drinks When Your In #Charlotte![/tweetthis]
Best Bloody Mary Bars
And then there’s the infamous Bloody Mary bar for the connoisseurs out there who know what they want in a bloody. On Saturdays and Sundays, Boudreaux’s Louisiana Kitchen and Brazwells Premium Pub are both known for having the most robust choice of toppings, with everything from standard olives and celery sticks to pickles, hot pepper, okra and green beans.
Budget hawks will love the three-dollar Bloody Mary bar on Sundays at Whiskey Warehouse or the bottomless Bloody Mary bar at Vivace. If the commitment of drinking bloodys all day at Vivace seems daunting, you’re welcome to switch over to bottomless mimosas no questions asked.
Twitter: @BoudreauxsNC, @BallantyneBraz, @whiskeyWarehous, @VivaceCharlotte
Bloody Marys don’t have to just be relegated to bars. They also go great with football season, whether your kickstarting your tailgate with ohe spicy treat or sipping all day during the big game. Here are some great foods to pair with your tailgate Bloody Mary!