60 in 60 Challenge Complete: 60 Days, 60 Bars, 67 Seattle Bloody Marys.
The Journey
This month, I hit 27 Seattle bloody mary joints to complete my 60 in 60 challenge! All in all, I visited 60 places and drank 67 different bloody marys during the last 60 days. My previous record for the most bloody marys in one day was 8. Last weekend, I blew it out of the water and managed to drink a solid 10, followed by a very long nap. I still have a few brunch spots to hit this weekend before my research is complete, but I am happy to have the bulk of it done. As much as I love bloody marys, don't be surprised if I'm ordering margaritas for the rest of August. ;)
Things I Learned
- Still no celery. This wasn't just a fluke. Out of all 67 bloody marys that I drank, a rough look at my notes shows that only 7 bloody marys were served with a fresh celery stalk and 2 more came with a pickled celery piece. I know you have celery, Seattle. Just give me the damn celery!
- Creativity abound. Sure, there are definitely quite a few places using a straight bottled bloody mary mix. But for those that chose to treat the bloody mary as a true craft cocktail, the creativity was wild. Infused vodka ranged from lemon-horseradish, cucumber, rosemary, and pepper to bacon and even salmon flavored. Flavor profiles included classic, Asian, Creole, BBQ, and seafood inspired mashups. Garnishes included everything from a standard bar olive to seaweed, pickled beet, smoked brisket and bacon jerky.
- Be prepared to shell out. With the exception of a very few places (and the awesome unlimited bloody mary deal at The Maple Bar), Seattle bloody marys are damn expensive. Just this week, I paid $9 for an egg sandwich, and $10.50 for a bloody mary. It was a damn good bloody mary, but still, the point stands. Unless it's blowing my mind, I find it very difficult to pay more for my drink than my breakfast.
Places I Visited
Below is my list of Seattle bloody marys from the last 30 days. As far as standouts go, I can definitely recommend The Maple Bar (bottomless mimosas and bloody marys for $14), Lowell's (5 different bloody marys), Sun Liquor Distillery, Wayward Vegan Cafe and, of course, Sam's Tavern. Close behind are Cafe Flora, Cactus, Joule, Taylor Shellfish and Seatown Seabar.
For a list of places I visited during the first 30 days, check out this blog post, "60 in 60 Seattle Update: 31 Days, 33 Bars, 38 Bloody Marys."
Taylor Shellfish Oyster Bar Lowell's Cafe 56 Norm's Eatery & Ale House 9 Million Unmarked Bills Stumbling Goat Bistro Baranof Lola 5 Spot The Commons The Maple Bar Cafe Flora Cactus The Attic Alehouse & Eatery St. Cloud's Hi Spot Saint John's Bar and Eatery Lost Lake Cafe & Lounge Sun Liquor Distillery Bimbo's Cantina Sam's Tavern Joule Fremont Dock Sports Bar Blue Star Cafe & Pub Seatown Seabar & Rotisserie Mecca Cafe & Bar Wayward Vegan Cafe
Find Out More
60 in 60 was just the research phase, and I have plenty of work left ahead of me. If you'd like to be the first to know about pre-launch sales, exclusive Seattle content and more, click the book cover below to join my mailing list. I'll let you know when it's time to start day-drinking with The Drunken Tomato. ;)
