Bloody Molly

So, the day after St. Patrick's Day, right? That green beer isn't nearly as nice to you on the day after, is it? I know there are many people wishing they had a decent hangover remedy on hand. Well, here at Greatest Drink In The World... This Week, we understand your pain. That is why this week's Greatest Drink is a 'Post-St. Paddy's Day' Hangover remedy: The Bloody Molly!

The Recipe:

Into a cocktail shaker filled 3/4 of the way with ice, add:

- a 4 count Boru Vodka

- juice squeezed from 1/2 of a large lemon

- 1/2 tablespoon of chopped green chilies,

- 4 dashes of Worcestershire sauce,

- approximately 6 ounces of V-8 Juice

- Shake, (to the best of your ability!)

- Strain over fresh ice

- Sprinkle generously with black pepper, (or to taste!)

Original recipe by Joe the Bartender, Passage to India Restaurant, Salem, MA

Joe the Bartender's notes: The Bloody Molly is our take on the classic Bloody Mary cocktail. As you can see we have substituted Russian vodka for Boru Irish Vodka. We have also omitted some of the more traditional ingredients such as celery salt and horseradish, as well as replacing Tabasco with freshly chopped green chilies.

I know some of you may want to add garlic salt, olive juice, grated onion or some other ingredient. And on any other day I would say that was fine, but as the Bloody Molly is primarily a post-St. Patrick's Day hangover cure, I would suggest you try this first. Ask yourself , do you really want to make your poor alcohol-abused body work so hard ?

And please don't use Clamato juice. I find the very idea of sucking back fish-juice particularly repulsive.

Naturally, I am feeling clear headed and energized this post-St. Patrick's day. As I prepare for my morning run, I remember a morning not so very long ago when I wasn't feeling quite so superior. It was while visiting my sister and her family in the beautiful lake district of Ireland. It was March 17th, I decided to go for a stroll through the country lanes. Although the air was crisp and cool, the sun was shining. I filled my lungs with the fresh clean air of the Irish countryside. The shiny chestnut coats of the horses played against the vibrant greens of the surrounding fields. The colors where reminiscent of the palattes of the great Celtic artists John Morris or Thomas Roberts. I could almost feel the culture and history of this land seeping into my English bones. Stopping at a quaint local pub I ordered my first pint of Guinness of the day.

A number of pints later I took a cab back to my sisters house armed with a variety of Irish whiskies, Paddys, Powers and of course, Jameson's. I don't believe at this stage that I need to go into details of the evenings events, other then to say the following morning I was not feeling my best. On seeing the poor state I was in this post-St. Patrick's day morning, my brother in-law jumped up insisting that he could cure me with a breakfast sandwich from the local gas station. While waiting on his return I stepped outside for some of that fresh Irish country air. The first thing to hit me was an overpowering smell of animal waste. It made my stomach perform turns that a Russian gymnast would have been proud of. The cold damp air attacked my skin, causing me to whimper like a trapped animal and the colors that I had found so stimulating the previous day now made me feel like I was the lead character in Edward Munch's most famous painting. My brother in-law returned with a bag heavily stained with grease marks. He presented to me a sub roll stuffed with sausage, rashers (bacon), eggs, black and white pudding, (blood sausage) and of course with this being Ireland, potato. All this topped with brown sauce, (sort of like ketchup, but brown.) This sandwich did satisfy my carbohydrate craving, but subsequently began to grow and expand in my stomach, distending me until I felt like Violet Beauregarde in the Wonka factory.

I learnt some valuable lessons that day. Firstly, never again leave the city, never listen to your brother in-law and never ever eat food prepared at your local gas station.

(Pat Shortt's Ode to the Jumbo Breakfast Roll.)

Chris the Barfly's notes: Before I continue with impressions from my side of the bar, I just need to comment on just how much I love the Breakfast Roll! And especially the black pudding! But I agree that it can sit in your stomach like a wet book.

Now on to business at hand! So, Wednesday was St. Patrick's Day, and when Joe said he had a great hangover recipe for those who consumed too much green beer on the seventeenth, I was immediately intrigued. I had been looking for a REALLY good Bloody Mary recipe for a while, (for recreational purposes, mind you, not medicinal!) And this is a really good Bloody Mary, (or "Molly" for the holiday, and the inclusion of the Irish vodka.)

"Irish Vodka," you ask? Oh yes! Check this out. Doesn't this sound good? "The original vodka from Ireland and the only Irish vodka in the U.S. Made with pure Irish spring water. Boru Vodka is quadruple distilled for smoothness and clarity. The only vodka filtered through 10 feet of Atlantic irish oak charcoal." I'm salivating!!!

The Bloody Molly, however, is a whole different sensation! This is one spicy meatball! It'll clear your head, for sure, but it tastes so good, that as research assistant, Michael B. put it, you don't need a hangover to enjoy this!

One important caveat: All those chilies and that black pepper tend to settle. If you decide not to stir your Molly fairly frequently, it will get spicier and spicier as you get closer to the bottom!

(Insert gratuitous Irish video here ➙ Flogging Molly on Conan O'Brien.)

Sláinte!