today's blog post is all about my dad! with father's day around the corner, i wanted to create something extra special for him & all the other dads out there. if there is one thing i know about my dad, it is that he LOVES spicy food! he is always buying fancy hot sauces & adding it to food that should (in my opinion) never have spice added to it. because his favourite cocktail is a bloody mary (also known as a caesar in canada), i figured this would be the perfect time to create an epic one. something much fancier then the average one you get at the bar & something extra spicy. when i saw the chili labs DIY hot sauce kit, i thought it would make for the coolest father's day gift. we could make different hot sauces together & then test them out via bloody mary's.
since our father's day always involves a lot of delicious bbq from ribfest, i garnished it with smoked grilled bacon & grilled asparagus because asparagus is so much better then celery. you can top it with literally ANYTHING else you or your dad loves, olives, hard boiled eggs, pickled green beans.. hell, i have seen bloody mary's topped with sliders! no judgement here. on this day, what dad wants, dad gets!
cheers.
ingredients
for the grilled asparagus
- 1/2 pound asparagus, stems removed
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt & pepper, too taste
for the bbq bacon
- 1 pound smoked bacon
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
for the bloody mary
- 1.5 ounces vodka
- 1/2 cup tomato juice or caesar mix (i used dillon's caesar mix)
- 2-4 dashes hot sauce (i made homemade hot sauce with the chili labs DIY kit)
- 2 dashes worcestershire sauce
- 1 pinch of sea salt (plus more to rim glass)
- 1 pinch of pepper
- 1 pinch of smoked paprika
- 2 sprigs of charred asparagus
- 1 slice of bbq bacon
- 1 slice of lime
directions
for the grilled asparagus
- preheat bbq to medium high heat.
- in a large pot of boiling water, blanch asparagus for thirty seconds. remove & submerge in ice bath. this will ensure the colour is vibrant.
- toss blanched asparagus in olive oil, sea salt & pepper.
- grill on each side for 2 minutes, until lightly charred.
for the bbq bacon
- preheat oven to 400 degrees & bbq to medium high heat.
- lay out bacon strips in a single layer on a lined baking sheet.
- cook until crispy, about 15 minutes. remove from tray & place on paper towel to remove grease.
- brush bacon with bbq sauce & grill the bacon for a minute on each side.
for the bloody mary
- in a cocktail shaker add the vodka, tomato juice, hot sauce, worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, & smoked paprika. shake until cocktail is well mixed.
- rim glass with coarse sea salt. fill with ice & add the bloody mary mixture.
- garnish with asparagus, bacon & a slice of lime. additional toppings are always welcome!
this post was created in partnership with giftagram! the easiest way to send a gift directly from your phone. all the props featured above including the DIY hot suace kit can be found on the app to be gifted to your dad, bestie, or let's be real.. yourself.
