The Nick

The Nick 1030 E Juneau Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53202 June 9th, 2013

Overall	The Queen Mary here is not the only queen we have seen in Milwaukee.  Harry's also has a Queen Mary.  They are both served in Weiss Bier glasses, and both are actually quite tasty.  A little too much horseradish in this one for the taste of some in our party.  Hot, but not overwhelming on the spice.  We were thinking between 3 1/2 and 4, but the garnish and chaser give this one the benefit of a doubt.
Garnish	The shrimp is spicy as well, and the pepper-jack cheese is great!
Chaser	They will ask for your preference among their various tap selections, including Stella and Spotted Cow, among others.
Price

Mother's Restaurant - New Orleans

Mother's Restaurant 401 Poydras New Orleans, LA June 5th, 2013

Overall	Ok, so you may have noticed the address is not Milwaukee.  I was in New Orleans recently, having a Po Boy a this restaurant that advertised its 'world famous' bloody marys.  In a city known for cocktails, this is quite a claim.  Naturally I had to try one, and here you have the result. Oh, the drink itself was flavorful, if light on alcohol. But the rather pathetic garnish, and complete lack of a chaser (they don't serve a chaser anywhere in New Orleans it seems) means there is one good reason to be glad I'm back in Milwaukee,
Garnish	Two limes. Really?
Chaser	Bupkus.
Price

 

Cafe Benelux

Cafe Benelux 346 N. Broadway Milwaukee, WI 53202 May 5th, 2013

Overall	Ahhh, variety is the spice of life, and if you like variety, Café Benelux is the place! You'll find the following: Traditional - Custom bloody mix, pimento stuffed olive. South Sider - Peppercorn infused Rehorst vodka, hot sauce, Jalapeno-stuffed olive Stinking Rose - Garlic infused vodka, garlic beef stick, shrimp Athenian - Cucumber infused vodka, feta cheese, cucumber, kalamata olive Rad Barbie - Horseradish bloody with barbecue sauce, bacon, olive, pickled green bean The point is you really can't go wrong here, because the base used at Café Benelux is mighty tasty!  You can really taste the infusions though, and each brings its own unique aspect.  Among the ones we liked best was the Stinking Rose.  The garlic infusion really adds pop.  Our consensus favorite though, is the Athenian.  The cucumber infused vodka is smooth and cool, perfect for summer! We hope they take our advice and offer Bloody Mary Flights at some point.  Congratulations guys, we acknowledge your Bloody expertise as the best in town!
Garnish	Each Mary here has its own signature touch, mentioned above.  I particularly liked the feta cheese, cucumber, and kalamata olive with the Athenian.
Chaser	I love the High Speed Wit they serve standard here. And the chaser glasses are perfect, as you can see from the photo above.
Price

INdustri

INdustri Cafe 524 S. 2nd St. Milwaukee, WI 53204 March 3rd, 2013

Overall	There are those that believe a true Bloody Mary does not consist of an entire meal of garnish.  For them, a celery stalk and an olive or two are good enough. They would definitely not relate to the Bloody at INdustri where the garnish is the most impressive we've seen anywhere!  If only the flavor measured up.  We found it a little bland, and on the peppery side.  But, if you're all about the garnish, INdustri is a BIG Must Try!
Garnish	As you can see by the photo, they've included nearly every kind of pickled vegetable, along with the requisite celery and beef stick.  But what really makes this garnish is the freshly grilled prawn.  Marvelous!
Chaser	I like wheat beer with a Bloody Mary, so this chaser was great for me.
Price

Milwaukee Ale House

Milwaukee Ale House 233 N. Water St. Milwaukee, WI 53202 April 28th, 2013

Overall	The difference here is that the Ale House uses their own pepper/lemon/lime infused vodka.  It's tasty, but subtle.  In our opinion it still lacks that 'wow factor'.  Nevertheless it is still above average.
Garnish	We liked the artichoke and the pepperoni.  The pepperoncini is hot stuff!
Chaser	Well, this is a microbrewery, so we naturally have high expectations for the chaser. They serve the Solomon Juneau golden ale standard.  It might be a little hoppy and bitter for some.  The key here is if you ask, they will allow you to substitute any of their other fine products!
Price

Sobelman's

Sobelman's 1900 W St. Paul Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53202 January 6th, 2013

Overall	Sobelman's has long claimed to be the home of Milwaukee's best hamburger.  Naturally their unique twist on the Bloody Mary is to add an actual hamburger as part of the garnish!  While this is certainly visually stunning, mine was somewhat dried out.  The bad news here is that the drink itself is straight Jimmy Luv's mix.  While this is not bad for a pre-made mix, if you hope to seriously contend for the best Bloody Mary in this town, you're going to need your own mix!
Garnish	The hamburger is impressive looking, but does not do the Sobelman's signature slider justice.  However, the beef stick is among the tastiest we've had in any Bloody Mary.
Chaser	Standard domestic lager chaser, pretty average.
Price

The Wicked Hop

The Wicked Hop 345 N Broadway Milwaukee, WI 53202 April 14th, 2013

Overall	The Wicked Hop has a solid reputation for having one of the best Bloody Marys in town. They seem to get a lot of mileage from the garnish including a large shrimp and genuine Wisconsin string cheese. The flavor is tangy with peppery accents. Quite good, in fact. We find the reputation is quite well deserved. Four of five overall!
Garnish	The shrimp is a nice touch, but the signature of this Bloody Mary is the string cheese.  Both tasty and highly popular!
Chaser	Standard domestic lager chaser, pretty average.
Price

In the beginning...

Several years ago my friends and I attended the Tomato Romp on North Avenue in Milwaukee.  We were blown away by the different varieties of Bloody Marys made by bars participating in this contest.  We thought it would be great if we could somehow expand this concept to the whole of Milwaukee and its surrounding suburbs, not just the East Side bars.  Rate every single one, so everyone would know the best of the best. So began our quest.  We get together nearly every weekend for brunch at some fine local establishment with a reputation for providing the best Bloody Marys. This blog will serve as the repository of our intense scrutiny and research.  And you, reader, the benefactor!

If you are a Bloody Mary aficionado like we are, you know there are many ways to differentiate a good drink from a poor one.  We will be rating them 1 to 5 on the following aspects:

• Flavor - The ideal flavor is high-impact tangy, but not too peppery or sweet.  While there is nothing wrong with going for the 'hot' factor, don't cross the line and make it un-drinkable.  The panel is divided on the effects of adding horseradish.  Some appreciate it; others definitely do not.  Some of the tastiest we've had involve various vodka infusions.  Speaking of which, don't skimp on the vodka.  We know the difference between Fleischman's and Absolut.
• Garnish - I remember about 20 years ago when The Chancery upped the ante on Bloody Mary garnishing by adding a beef stick.  These days that won't get you too far.  We've seen string cheese, prawns, and even a hamburger added to Bloody Marys we've tasted.  Just adding a salad is not good enough.  It has to be done with flair, panache, and it's got to taste great!
• Chaser - If you intend to keep up with the bunch we'll be reviewing, you'd better know that serving a beer chaser is di rigeur.  And a small glass of Miller Lite is a barely acceptable one star.  The big boys come with tasty specialty brews here, and never, ever 'forget' to provide a chaser.