Bacon Holiday Bloody Mary Bar
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A Spicy Boozy Delight
I love entertaining around the holidays and I always like to be prepared for unexpected guests. One of my hostess tips is to keep simple ingredients around to be able to present a last minute Bloody Mary bar that’s sure to impress.
When I need to stock up on supplies to be ready to throw something together, I head to Walmart!
Personally, I do not like those Bloody Marys that are overflowing with hamburgers and fried chicken. ​While they may rack up the numbers on Instagram, I don’t need a giant rotisserie chicken getting in the way of my brunch booze!
The Best Bloody Mary Components
I like to keep it simple when it comes to Bloody Marys. That’s why I choose Mr & Mrs T® Bloody Mary Mixes​, and especially enjoy the made from scratch taste.
They are conveniently available in the mixers aisle at Walmart, and I love that Walmart always has the best low prices. This not only saves me money but allows me to purchase more ingredients to really make things special for the holidays.
Click on this picture below for more information.
Make Your Bloody Mary Special
The secret to making my Bloody Mary bar special is adding a few ingredients to take it to that next level without being over the top.
Remember when you’re building a Bloody Mary bar that people are expecting a cocktail and a snack. I find that most people love to snack on meats and that cured meats like salami and bacon really pair well with the Mr & Mrs T® Bloody Mary Mixes.
I prefer to use the Original and Bold and Spicy Mr & Mrs T® Bloody Mary Mixes but they also have a Fiery Pepper and Horseradish variety. One of my top secret Bloody Mary garnishes is my soon-to-be famous Candied Bacon. It is simple to make, requires very few ingredients, and if you shop at Walmart you don’t have to spend a lot of money to make it.
Candied Bacon Card:
There’s a recipe card with the instruction and ingredients for the candied bacon at the end of the post, but first you can check out these pictures for some guidance.
If they also make you hungry, well, that’s the cost of making a Bloody Mary bar.
Make The Bacon Ahead Of Time
I make this bacon when I have extra time and I store it in the fridge in a flat, air tight container. It can store for up to a two weeks.
It is the perfect accent to have on hand for a quick treat or garnish for your Bloody Mary.
Let’s Build The Bloody Mary Bar
Get creative when it is time to shop for your Bloody Mary Bar. Walmart has so many options so you can really explore the grocery aisles and pick and choose unique items to have on hand.
I prefer to get some sliced salami, stuffed olives, and celery salt for the rim of the glasses. I also head over to the produce department to get celery.
Celery just brightens up the whole glass.To make things more special, I buy these canning jars from Walmart to use instead of traditional glasses.
The Mr & Mrs T® mixers are my favorite, and your holiday guests are sure to enjoy too! The flavor is so fresh that guests often think I made it myself but I always give the credit to Mr & Mrs T® mixers.
Check them out for yourself at your local Walmart today.
All you need to set up the Bloody Mary Bar are the jars is a cutting board.
Arrange your meats and olives, dip the rims of your glasses in the celery salt, and display your candied bacon in another jar. I also like to put the celery in a jar.
Display everything on a cutting board and everyone can build their own Bloody Mary.
This Bloody Mary bar will really wow your guests. You can stock up on all these ingredients at Walmart for very little money and you will never have to worry about not having snacks when guests drop by last minute.
As always, thank you for reading and Happy Drinking!
Make Ahead Candied Bacon
Who doesn't love bacon? Especially when it's candied and delicious? This make ahead bacon is a minor labor of love. The good news is, it can be made ahead of time, and reheated when ready to serve, or even eaten cold. It is a wonderful special treat to serve along side deviled eggs for a play on bacon and eggs. The method is easy and just slightly time consuming. The end result is worth it.
Ingredients
- 1 lb of bacon (I recommend using a thicker cut bacon)
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons of maple syrup (preferably real maple syrup)
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon of cracked black pepper (or to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika (or to taste)
- *you will need some baking racks to make this recipe that go over your pan in the oven. pictured in post. (the kind you cool cookies on)
- *this recipe can be doubled or tripled
Instructions
- Remove your bacon from the package, I DO recommend using a thicker cut bacon for this recipe, the thinner bacon shrivels with the longer cook time. I start the bacon out directly ON the sheet pan. Spread the bacon out on sheet pans, flat, it can be close together.
- Place the bacon in a cold oven and turn the heat on to 375 degrees and let the bacon start cooking while the oven heats. This prevents splattering.
- While the bacon bakes, in a sauce pan, add your syrup, brown sugar vanilla, chili powder, black pepper and paprika. Turn the heat on low and let this get warm, don't let it come to a boil. Whisk this until the sugar is dissolved.
- Check your bacon and pull it when it is MOSTLY cooked fully, you want it slightly floppy but not totally crisp. Every oven bakes differently, so keep a close eye on this the first time you make it.
- Carefully remove the pans, take the bacon off and spread on the wire cooling racks, and drain the grease from the pans and place the cooling racks on your baking pans so that the bacon is OVER the pan.
- Place the bacon back in the oven and bake again for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Then begin basting your bacon with the syrup mixture. Baste, bake for a couple of minutes and then flip and baste again. I repeat these 2 to 3 times. You want to make sure your bacon isn't overcooking, you may need to reduce the heat of your oven.
- When the bacon is fully basted, I do some cracked black pepper over all of it. Turn the heat off in the oven and let the bacon rest in there until the oven cools off.
- My cooling racks are non stick, you may need to spray yours with a non stick spray before making this.
- I store the bacon in a container with a lid, and I put a piece of parchment paper in between each layer of bacon.
- Store in the fridge for one to two days. You can reheat this in a low temp oven or in the microwave, this is also ok to eat cold or room temp. I like to serve this for brunch with deviled eggs.