GREAT DRINKS #3 THE BLOODY MARY

We began our search with just one prerequisite: the concoction must build on vodka and real tomato juice. As the investigation continued, we began to disqualify any bar, restaurant, or hotel if it rimmed the glass with salt (after all. this is not a margarita); if it put a limp, wimpy piece of celery in the drink (the nerve!); or if the bite of the vodka was undetectable (leaving every Mary a virgin).

Our search ended at The Mansion on Turtle Creek in the very cozy, manly bar. The Bloody Mary at The Mansion offers a multiplicity of tastes that roll over the tongue like a complex wine, teasing, arousing, rejuvenating, Don’t wait for a hangover; this Bloody Mary should be tried immediately and returned to again and again.

To make enough for you and your friends, combine one teaspoon horseradish, two tablespoons celery salt two tablespoons Mack pepper, a half bottle of Worcestershire, ten to twelve drops Tabasco, six ounces beef consomme, and one ounce Roses lime juice with forty-sit ounces of tomato juice. Mix quietly and pour over ice and Vodka. Add celery only if your headache can stand the crunch. But the Bloody Mary is best enjoyed in the subdued environment of the Mansion for $4 each.