Classic cocktail · Guided recipe

Virgin Mary

A Bloody Mary with the vodka left out — all the savoury, spiced tomato flavour, none of the alcohol. The brunch drink for everyone.

Preparation~2 minSuper easyStrengthAlcohol-free0% ABVMethodStirred5 guided stepsIngredients2Tall (highball) glass

Highball

In the glassTomato juice · Fresh lemon juice

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Make it with guidanceOne clear action at a time, with timers built in.

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What goes in

Ingredients

An empty clear highball glass with tall straight sides and a substantial base. — Serving glassHighball glass

Set up before you pour

Use a highball glass.

The tall, straight shape leaves room for plenty of ice and mixer while keeping a long drink lively.

Standard size: 350 ml11¾ oz
Ice & serve: Fill it with fresh ice cubes.
If you don’t own one: Use a Collins glass or any tall, straight-sided tumbler.

Tools to set out

jigger or measuring spoon

Compare all glass types

Scale to your tall (highball) glassWe’ll remember this glass size.

Tomato juice120 ml
Fresh lemon juice15 ml

Start making

From bottle to glass

Method

01
Ice the glass
Fill the glass with ice
02
Measure and pour
Pour 120 ml tomato juice
- Tomato juice
03
Measure and pour
Add 15 ml fresh lemon juice
- Fresh lemon juice
04
Stir around the ice
Stir gently to combine
05
Finish the drink
Finish it — add a lime wedge

Know your drink

About the Virgin Mary

Three sophisticated alcohol-free cocktails made with herbs, berries, tea and citrus.

Taking the vodka out

Vodka contributes almost nothing to a Bloody Mary beyond alcohol. Salt, pepper and lemon carry it, and a spirit picked for having no flavor of its own has nothing to add to them. What it does bring is a faint burn and a thinner body, so the version without it comes out rounder and a shade sweeter. Push the lemon up by 5 ml, add another grind of pepper, and the gap closes.

One thing worth checking before you serve it to a table: Worcestershire sauce contains anchovy, so a version billed as vegetarian wants a mushroom-based sauce or a splash of soy in its place. Neither is an exact match. Soy brings more salt and less tang, so pull the celery salt back a pinch if you go that way.

Common questions

Virgin Mary FAQ

What goes into the seasoning?

Two dashes of Worcestershire, a few drops of hot sauce, a good pinch of celery salt and several grinds of black pepper, adjusted to your tomato juice. Taste before you pour. A thin, sweet juice needs more salt and more lemon than a thick, dark one does.

Shake it or roll it?

Roll it. Pour the whole thing between two tins four or five times, or between the glass and a tin. Shaking whips air into tomato juice and turns it pink and frothy, which wrecks the texture. Rolling moves the seasoning through and chills it without aerating.

Can I mix a jug the night before?

Yes, and it improves. Seasoning needs a few hours to come together, so a batch made the evening before tastes rounder than one built to order. Hold the lemon back and add it fresh in the morning, since citrus goes dull and slightly bitter overnight in tomato juice.

Does it need horseradish?

Not required, but it is the thing most home versions are missing. A quarter teaspoon of grated fresh or jarred horseradish adds a heat that goes up the nose rather than sitting on the tongue, which is a different sensation from hot sauce and works better with tomato.

What ingredients are in a Virgin Mary?

A classic Virgin Mary calls for 120 ml (4 oz) Tomato juice, 15 ml (0.5 oz) Fresh lemon juice. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.

Is there any alcohol in a Virgin Mary?

Nothing — the Virgin Mary is completely alcohol-free, which makes it a great mocktail for drivers, kids and anyone skipping alcohol.

What glass do you serve a Virgin Mary in?

Serve a Virgin Mary in a highball (tall) glass, over fresh ice cubes.

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