By Micah Hanks

Around this time each year, I begin to see an awful lot of Halloween-themed drinks (many of them are quite silly, and just down-right fun). Among these I always tend to see a lot of variations on the Bloody Mary, since its name alone tends to evoke a slightly creepy tinge of murder and despair, in addition to conjuring images of ghosts that appear in mirrors. However, there is one not-so-popular variation worthy of mention that, if anything, is as delicious and wholesome as a regular BM, and yet has that slightly seasick vibe you want for an ideal Halloween “shocker.”

The general idea here is to use green tomatoes in your Mary instead of your average tomato juice, resulting in what I would affectionately call a “Mary’s Green Goblin.” As much as I’d love to be able to claim first rights to creation of this cocktail, people have probably been doing various renditions of the Bloody Mary with pre-ripened tomatoes for as long as green tomatoes have been fried and served with relish (mmm mmm)! One particularly delicious looking recipe I’ve found at the Viceroy’s Sizzling Cameo Bar in Santa Monica calls for Absolut Vodka, Green Tomatoes (pureed), Cucumber, Tomatillos, Garlic, Cilantro, Parsley, Green Onion, Jalapenos, Salt. No doubt, this blend of ingredients would bring your drink to life with such voracity that it may very well just wink at you after the first sip!

For a different spin on the “Green Mary/Goblin,” try this recipe created by the folks at Taste Buds and Tidbits, which uses yellow heirloom tomatoes:

Morning After Green Mary

1/2 tbsp coarse kosher salt

2 lbs heirloom yellow/orange tomatoes (you can use red, but your drink won’t be GREEN!)

1 c cucumbers, roughly chopped

1/2 c carrots, roughly chopped

1/2 c celery, with leaves , roughly chopped (they’re tastier! think herbs vs. herb stems)

1/2 c roughly chopped yellow pepper, roughly chopped, plus some extra for fancy garnish

1 smallish tomatillo, roughly chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, halved

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 thyme sprigs, destemmed

1/3 c roughly chopped basil leaves

1 (or more) garlic clove(s)

Crushed black pepper, to taste

Vodka, to taste

Before you run out and try ordering this beverage, keep one thing in mind; the alternative to a green colored Bloody Mary is a “green” Bloody Mary… that is, an environmentally friendly, organic beverage made sans-Worcestershire (so its vegan friendly also). To see what one of these might look like, have a look at the photo linked to this blog:

The Green Bloody Mary at the Swift.

As a final note, there does happen to be a separate cocktail called a “Green Goblin.” For the scoop on this beverage, visit the Green Goblin Cocktail Recipe Online.

Tags: Bloody Mary, Green Goblin, Green Mary