Wow, I apologize for the extremely late post and lack of subsequent posting all because of my procrastination. However, I assure you that we have continued to sample, take notes/pics, and judge on a regular basis. So let's get on with it.
So we (Patrick, Abby, Liz, and I) visited The Glass Nickel on Atwood on a suggestion to taste their bloody mary. We arrived well past midnight to find, to our pleasant surprise, that they were still open and willing (and very much able) to accommodate our thirst for our lovely, red concoction. This was definitely a homemade recipe mixed with some personal flare. The reason I say this is that they had their own mix, but the there is most likely some variation between preparers. She started off with the usual suspects: Worcestershire, pepper, celery salt (which, BTW, she claimed was the 'key' ingredient in any bloody), and horseraddish. The kicker, however, was the addition of what I believe was Guiness! I was again pleasantly surprised to see this and had never seen it added before. This may also be a source of uniqueness from bartender to bartender. The tomato mix was then added, mixed, and then topped off with a garden of garnishes (see pic). In the end, the bloody mary was very delicious and well-prepared, especially for a Friday night midnight snack! My rating is a 4.0 but with caution since it may not be consistent and dependent on the bartender.
To add, I overheard a couple next to us that a key ingredient in their bloody mary was white pepper. I have yet to use it, but it certainly sounds worth investigating!
