This week’s Bloody Mary taste test took place at Mojo Old City BBQ on Cordova Street.
This was a bit of a departure as far as Bloody Marys go. Normally, a bartender makes the drink. In this case, it was two: Sarah Percival and Tim Brennan, who’ve been bartenders for eight and seven years respectively. And this no normal Bloody Mary. This was a “Mojo Mary” and, yeah, it’s got some mojo.
Mojo’s certainly does their own thing. First, they use a “bacon washed” vodka. The bacon flavor is barely perceptible, but it would be obvious if it was missing. Describing how they do that is a bit complicated, but this is what it looks like as it’s cooling in the fridge. Don’t let it fool you:
They make their own mix daily, and it contains, among other things:
- Tomato juice
- Horseradish
- Mustard
- Garlic powder
- Celery bitters
- Pickle juice
They garnish it with okra and olives.
The drink starts off in two containers: A glass which contains ice and the bacon washed vodka, and a mason jar which contains the mix. Sarah runs a small black hose into the jar from a small smoke pump, into which she’s placed hickory chips. She turns the pump on, lights the chips and the smoke is transferred to the mason jar. Like the bacon flavor of the vodka, the smoke flavor isn’t overwhelming, but you wouldn’t want to go without it.
Once the mix is “smoked”, the jar and the glass were brought to the table, where Tim combined the two in the glass with the ice. He poured it almost reverently, not to disturb the rim of the glass which is adorned with a ring of coarse black pepper and smoked salt:
The end result is something which is difficult to adequately describe. The cocktail itself enjoys a nice, thick body without being too heavy. There’s a spiciness here which I love, which is attributed, in no small part, to the horseradish contained in the mix. The hint of bacon flavor is both obvious and subdued at the same time. It’s like a photo of an optical illusion. Once you figure out what it is, you can’t not notice it.
But the star of the show is the mix in all of its smoky grandeur. It provides the base for what is, without a doubt, one of the best Bloody Marys in all of St. Augustine. Be sure to order the Mojo Mary when you visit. If you order a Bloody Mary, you’ll get a very good one, but without the “mojo”. And the “mojo” is what you want.
Mojo’s Old City BBQ is located at 5 Cordova Street downtown.
Keep up with the #bloodymarymonday taste test tour and check out our previous stops at Tradewinds Lounge and Arnold’s.
