When I found out we were headed out to Seattle, WA for our day job, I knew exactly what needed to be done- contact The Drunken Tomato! The Drunken Tomato’s real name is Shelley Buchanan and she is the authority on Bloody Marys- especially on the West coast. Currently, she is in the middle of 60 Bloody Marys in 60 days and working on releasing her second Bloody Book! The Drunken Tomato was more than happy to offer up some recommendations for Bloody Hot Spots. Amoung the recommendations were Sam’s Tavern, Matt’s in the Market & Lowell’s. We didn’t much free time in few days we there there so we got started right away!
We started at Lowell’s and can report that we both had very interesting Bloody Marys. We ordered two- the Smoked Salmon Mary & the Hangtown Mary.
The Smoked Salmon Mary was made with vodka infused with smoked salmon and some how the combination just totally works! It adds a smokey component, which I enjoy- probably a bit more than most. As much as I enjoyed this Smokey Bloody Mary, it’s flavor profile is big and it’s probably not for everyone. Ultimately, it was garnish that disappointed me on this Bloody Mary. It was lack luster and I would have liked to see a garnish that complemented and enhanced the unique flavor of this cocktail better. What would work well here would be a cherry tomato, cucumber wedge, a sliver of smoked salmon and to really take it over the top, perhaps a piece of delicious cheese- a Jarslburg or Manchego.
The “Hangtown” Mary is a bacon-infused vodka mixed with housemade citrus clamato mary mix, garnished with a fresh Pacific Northwest oyster. This Bloody sounded decious! However, it was not. The acid level was off, it was very thin and what bacon flavor was there, was not quite right. The description let us to believe we’d see an oyster on the half shell adorning the glass, but this was not the case. At Lowell’s, they used pre-shucked oysters and stick a skewer right through them leaving them to dangle above your beverage. I was’t about this- i prefer a fresh oyster on the shell- Especially in a restaurant that is overlooks the waters of Seattle in the Pike Place Market which if you don’t know, is known for fresh fish.
So in the end, we agreed that the smoked salmon Bloody was better than the Bacon. I KNOW- can you believe it? Something better than bacon?! And we agreed that the garnishes could use some work here at Lowell’s. But… if you are a Bloody Mary thrill-seeker like we are, Lowell’s is a good place to check out for an interesting twist on a classic!
