Rustico's Bloody Mary
Milwaukee's Best Bloody 2015 was held this past Sunday, March 22 at Turner Hall Ballroom. The event, similar to other Bloody Mary tastings and competitions in this city, is an annual fundraiser for the Great Lake Hemophilia Foundation led by Executive Director Danielle Baxter. Proceeds from the 600+ tickets sold, along with raffle tickets sold at the event, go toward helping the foundation educate, support and advocate for the bleeding disorders community. Choosing to host a Bloody Mary event for the awareness of bleeding disorders was a tongue-in-cheek choice by the foundation and was propelled by MKE's love for Bloodies.
Milwaukee Beer Bistro's Bloody Mary
Attendees were able to vote on their favorite Bloody in four different categories: Most Inventive, Most Milwaukee, Most like a Meal and Best Overall. Most Milwaukee went to Milwaukee Beer Bistro. It's hard to deny that a brat in a pretzel bun is just about as MKE as you can get, but they gilded the lily with a heft chunk of bacon as well.
Saz's Bloody Mary
Most like a Meal went to Saz's State House. Fittingly, the restaurant known for barbecue topped their Bloody with a barbecue rib. It was a little difficult to juggle without getting sticky sauce all over, especially with the hefty crowd, but it was worth the hassle for a tasty, meaty rib. The drink was kept relatively simple with hints of barbecue spices.
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Most Inventive went to Burke's Irish Castle and their rendition made with Jameson whiskey and corned beef. The whiskey wasn't overpowering and mixed well with the nicely spiced tomato juice. Best Overall went to Milwaukee institution Steny's. Theirs was lightly flavored and mellow, very similar to what you get at their bar.
The Pfister Hotel's Bloody Mary
Best Bloody in my opinion was from the Lobby Lounge in the Pfister Hotel. Admittedly, I love citrus juice and this Bloody had quite a lot of tart lemon. That may not appeal to everyone, but it makes for a refreshing drink, especially after trying 15 other Bloodies. The garnish was a massive, garlic dill, beef stick, wedge of cheese and large cocktail shrimp. You can't go wrong with any of those classics.
Overall this was a lovely event for Bloody Mary lovers. It seems like they've outgrown the confines of Turner Hall, however, so I hope next year's event is in a larger space. The fact that this is a fundraiser was not lost thanks to the educational materials scattered around and the foundation staff did an excellent job of coordinating the event.
All images were taken by Lacey Muszynski.
