Bunny Mary (Carrot Juice Bloody Mary)

Similar to a Bloody Mary this Carrot Juice Bloody Mary, known as a ‘Bunny Mary’ is made using carrot juice and all the familiar spices and add-ins. Perfect for a spring or Easter brunch use this spicy and tart cocktail to toast warmer days and new beginnings.

As the season of spring opens up to new beginnings allow me to introduce you to a new version of an old favorite. This delicious carrot juice cocktail is equally as tart and tasty as the traditional Bloody Mary but boasts a fun bright orange color making it perfect for Easter brunch.

Brunch will always remind me of Saturday mornings in New York City coming off the heels of an exciting evening, which is then recapped through bottomless mimosa or Bloody Marys. It always reminds me of changing seasons and bright sunny mornings spent with family over a delicious meal.

Whether I’m preparing my favorite baked eggs or donuts at home or dining out it’s always fun. Toasting with a tasty cocktail makes it memorable as well.

Ingredients

This delicious cocktail is practically a meal in itself with all the potential add-ins and toppings. Below is a list of the basic ingredients you’ll need to prepare this recipe, however, many are optional and can be changed or omitted.

• Carrot Juice
• Lemon Juice
• Dill Pickle Juice
• Olive Brine
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Hot Sauce
• Old Bay Seasoning
• Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• Vodka

You can easily omit the vodka too if you’d prefer to make a mocktail or you can swap it out for some club soda or tonic water.

Garnish Options

If you’re preparing a large pitcher for a brunch then I suggest turning it into a Bunny Mary cocktail bar and laying out all the options you can garnish your drink with. You can easily set up the drinks ahead and pre-garnish them yourself.

For the drinks in the photos, I used carrots, lemon slices, dill pickles, green olives, and gherkins.

• Carrots
• Lemons
• Limes
• Pickles
• Gherkins
• Green Olives
• Pickled Okra
• Pearl Onions
• Cheese Squares
• Pepperoncini

Seasonings for the Rim

Part of the beauty of this cocktail is how you can easily garner it to your own tastes. You get to pick the toppings, whether you’d like it to be a mocktail or not, and you can choose your option for seasoning the rim as well.

The recipe in the photos uses a combination of Old Bay Seasoning and margarita salt. Coat the rim of the glass in lemon juice by running a lemon wedge along the edge and then dipping it into the seasoning. It will work best if the seasoning is on a flat plate or surface.

• Old Bay Seasoning
• Celery Salt
• Garlic Salt
• Smoked Paprika
• Lemon Pepper
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• Seasoned Salts

Directions

• Prepare the carrot juice mixture. Pour the carrot juice into a large pitcher and mix in the olive brine, pickle juice, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, hot sauce, Old Bay seasoning, salt, and black pepper.
• Rim the glass. Pour the Old Bay seasoning and coarse salt onto a flat surface or small flat plate and stir to combine. Using a lemon wedge coat the rim of the glass generously in lemon juice. Dip the sides and top of the glass rim into the seasoning.

• Set up the cocktail. Fill each glass with ice and add 2 to 3 ounces of vodka. Pour the carrot juice mixture into the glass and layer with garnishes of your choice.

Recipe Notes and Tips

• It’s a good idea to prepare the carrot juice mixture the night before you plan on serving it to let the spices and flavors marinate together.
• Serve this drink over ice! It’s best served super cold.
• Before pouring the carrot juice mixture into the cocktail stir it up well to make sure the spices are evenly dispersed.

If you’re planning a spring or Easter brunch then I recommend adding this lemon ricotta almond cake or these lemon crumble bars to your menu as well.