A (Rainy) Bloody Sunday

Now I'm not a big cocktail guy. I'm a beer guy. I brew beer and love trying all kinds of craft beer. St. Louis is a great city for that because despite living in the giant shadow of Anheuser-Busch, STL has a thriving craft brewery scene. Schlafly of course, Urban Chestnut, 6 Row. Tons of them.

But in thumbing through this book, The Inspired Vegan by Bryant Terry, I found a great recipe for a Bloody Sunday--a Bloody Mary with beet puree instead of tomato juice. And an homage to a violent Civil Rights event.

I just happened to have beets and vodka around so it was super easy to whip up, after marinating the beets overnight. It's spiced up like a Bloody Mary and changeable to your tastes, especially the hot sauce. I might just have to pick up a cocktail shaker. It was a good use of time on a chilly, rainy Sunday. I recommend the book, by the way. I'm certainly not a vegan but the book is cohesively put together and offers great semi-gourmet menus.

Bloody Sunday

• 1/4 C. beet juice or marinated beet puree
• 1.5 oz. vodka
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 1/4 t. apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 t. hot sauce (or more to taste)
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of pepper

Fill a cocktail shaker (or cup) with ice and the above ingredients and shake into another cup until it's all chilled. Strain into a glass. As recommended by the book, a half-pint mason jar works great.

Marinated Beet Puree

• 1 C. marinated beets
• 1.5 C water

Blend until smooth in a blender and strain into a container.

Marinated Beets

• 4 medium sized beets, scrubbed and trimed
• Salt
• 1 T. red wine vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
• 1 t. raw cane sugar (I used brown sugar)

Boil the beets in 3 quarts of cold water and 1 teaspoon of salt until they are easily pierced with a knife, about 25 or 30 minutes. Reserve about half of the cooking liquid and drain, then remove beet skins by scrubbing under cold water. Slice the beets as desired (it doesn't matter if they will all be pureed).

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the vinegar and sugar and enough of the reserved cooking liquid to cover the beets. Stir well to dissolve the sugar and toss with the beets. Refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.