Zing Zang is an uncommon name for a most delicious Bloody Mary mix. Even without the bright green label and their name emblazoned boldly upon it, this is seriously good stuff, worthy of your most expensive vodka, gin or tequila.
I don’t always eat enough vegetables in my diet, so isn’t it nice to know that I can drink my vegetables in the form of a Zing Zang Bloody Mary? What I need to do is first find a fine vodka to make that “day drink” healthy. For this I’ve found that Double Cross Vodka is the perfect amalgamation of smooth to flavorful to mixable.
Healthy you might say? Yes, indeed. Because a vodka based drink is healthy enough alone as a liniment for a sprained muscle! The addition of vegetables in the form of a fine Bloody Mary mix like Zing Zang, well this is what makes the filling in your glass into something that resembles a well-balanced meal!
But what does this have to do with Zing Zang? Probably nothing- but for the sake of argument, and I’m sipping on a very “day-drinking” version of my illustration of how you should try your Zing Zang. This stuff is seriously delicious! Is it the vodka? Or is it the Zing Zang?
What you taste is very personal indeed. I’ll leave that outcome to more than just to chance.
Tasting notes:
Zing Zang Bloody Mary Mix
Celery right upfront gives way to little tiny chunks of tomato and herbs- what kind? I’m not sure, but there is a nice flavor balance at work. There is a bit of burn in the finish, not too much- just right. This mix is certainly a crowd pleaser and it would fit in mixed with any of the three liquors I mentioned prior. For Vodka, I’d use the Double Cross. For the tequila, I’d use Casa Noble Reposado and for the gin version I’d use something like Hendrick’s because you need a more assertive flavor profile against the potency of the spices at work in Zing Zang. This would be the perfect breakfast cocktail with a pickle, perhaps a steamed shrimp and a few olives. I’d also add a few chunks of lemons and limes- because we don’t drink enough citrus and scurvy still occurs in the 21st century!
But all fun aside, Zing Zang makes a darned good Bloody Mary mix. You can even enjoy it without alcohol, it’s that good. I’d step up the citrus a bit if you are not using liquor to give a counterpoint to the celery and herb mix that is added to the aforementioned tomato blend. Or for some serious fun, add vodka and top it off with a lager beer! That’s a highway!
Shall We Talk of Business, Sir?
Ingredients:
- 4 oz. Zing Zang “Award Winning” Bloody Mary Mix
- 1 oz. Freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice
- 1 oz. Freshly squeezed and strained lime juice
- 2 oz. liquor of your choice (I used Double Cross Vodka)
Garnish:
Pickles, Olives, Cucumbers, pickled tomatoes, more olives, fried chicken, Steamed Shrimp.. that sort of thing.
Preparation:
- To a Boston Shaker, filled ¾ with ice, add the Zing Zang
- Add the lemon and lime juices
- Add the vodka –or gin.. or tequila.. or whatever you desire!
- Add a few teaspoons of olive juice
- Cap and shake to combine- don’t over shake, this is not a race!
- Pour into a chilled Long (tall) Collins style glass and garnish away!
Cheers!
