What was your staple dish growing up? Baked beans, lobstah rolls, steamahs, and corn and clam chowder were just some of the favorites that you’d find on any New England dinner table where I grew up. In the Midwest, you’ll find the multi-faceted, “hot dish,” and salmon in the Pacific Northwest as dinner time favorites.

Synonymous with southern cooking and cuisine, my latest concoction/recipe was inspired by the South's most famous dish; gumbo. The reason being? Because my friends from Cocktail Artist, award-winning Premium Bloody Mary Mix was formulated and inspired by the legendary bartender, Chris McMillan out of New Orleans, Louisiana. 

The award-winning Cocktail Artist Premium Bloody Mary Mix already has a southern swagger to it so just a few crucial gumbo recipe ingredients are added to the mix. What resulted was a savory, spicy, Creole bloody mary that will become your friends and family’s absolute favorite!

A gumbo, done right should simmer for 2-3 hours to get the most intensity out of the flavors. With this in mind, I prepared the Cocktail Artist Premium Bloody Mary Mix with beef broth, creole seasonings, and hot sauce a day in advance to really let the flavors “stew.” The gumbo flavors seamlessly melded with the Cocktail Artist mix and letting it stew overnight really brought a hearty and rich flavor to the recipe that made me feel like I was sitting down in New Orléans with Chris, enjoying a delicious gumbo.

The following day there is just a bit of work to prepare the garnishes. I sautéed the andouille sausage, blistered the tomatoes, and rubbed the shrimp in creole seasonings. The garnish for this gargantuan Bloody Mary recipe is a full-blown meal in its self!

 If you’re wondering where you can grab a bottle of the award-winning Cocktail Artist Premium Bloody Mary Mix, just head to your local Walmart!

Ingredients - Serves 6-8

2 Bottles of Cocktail Artist Premium Bloody Mary Mix

1 Cup of Vodka

1 Cup Beef Broth

1/4 Cup Creole Seasoning

1/4 Cup Hot Sauce

3-4 Shrimp Cocktail 

1 Andouille Sausage 

1 Crab Claw

2 Celery Stalks

2 Campari Tomatoes

Okra

Supplies

Mason Jar

2 Kabob Skewers

Directions

1. A day in advance, combine award-winning Cocktail Artist Premium Bloody Mary Mix, beef broth, creole seasoning, and hot sauce

2. The following day, gather all your garnishes and start by sautéing the sausage in a frying pan until heated through. Slice the sausage into pieces and put on a kabob skewer

3. In the same frying pan blister the tomatoes by sautéing

4. Add tomatoes and okra to another kabob skewer 

5. Rub shrimp with creole seasoning

6. Add vodka to the bloody mary mix

7. Garnish the bloody mary with celery, both skewers, shrimp, and crab

*sip and enjoy & please drink responsibly