The Ingredient Swap For A Vegan Bloody Mary

Bloody Mary cocktails are a staple of the Prohibition era, even though they weren't invented in America. According to Silver Circle Distillery, the drink was invented in Harry's New York Bar, which was a Paris bar that catered to American travelers and expats. Americans brought over tomato juice, and Russians fleeing to Paris brought vodka. Fernand Petiot, a bartender at Harry's, combined the two and added lemon juice, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.

Since its Parisian origins, the Bloody Mary has become a favorite brunch drink for many, notes Eater, due to its savory, umami flavors that pair well with most brunch foods, and its mythos as a hangover cure. The key to any good cocktail is the combination of quality ingredients, but if you're vegan or have a fish allergy, ingredients like Worcestershire sauce may pose a barrier to you enjoying a delicious Bloody Mary. Luckily, there's an easy swap to make the drink allergen friendly.

Worcestershire sauce may not seem all that important to the flavor profile of a Bloody Mary, but as Bon Appetit explains, it's a very complex sauce that includes fermented garlic, fermented onion, vinegar, molasses, tamarind, salt, sugar, and anchovies. The end result is something very sweet, umami, and a little sour, and integral to the overall flavor of your Bloody Mary.

While anchovies give the sauce plenty of depth, it also bars those with food allergies or dietary restrictions from enjoying it. There are a few Worcestershire sauces that don't have anchovies, including Kroger and Whole Food brands, as well as Annie's, Wan Ja Shan, and The Wizard's, per Living My Veg Life. If you don't want to look for a vegan brand, you could also use Worcestershire substitutes like soy sauce, vinegar, or a mix of both ingredients plus ketchup advises A Couple Cooks. They advise that the two main flavors in Worcestershire sauce are salty and tangy, so as long as you get those notes to shine through your Bloody Mary mixture, you'll be good to go.