This post was originally published on February 12, 2016.
The last stop on the Milwaukee Bloody Mary Tour brought us to the famed Sobelman’s Pub N Grill which you may know as the spot with the fried chicken Bloody Mary (hint: all those photos you saw circulating around the internet with a giant fried chicken and ridiculous amounts of other skewered garnishes in the Bloody– that’s Sobelman’s!). I have been waiting to go here for a long, long time– since the moment I first saw that fried chicken Bloody aka the “Bloody Beast” years ago. Now, you may dislike me because I didn’t actually get the “Bloody Beast.” After drinking three other filling Bloodies throughout the day, I couldn’t stomach that giant masterpiece. Instead I opted for Sobelman’s Crown Mary that is “crowned the queen of Bloodies! Includes the signature garnishes as well as a Coronita and Colby-jack cheeseburger slider on a skewer.” Sounded great to me! My mother and cousin ordered two other Bloodies off the menu so we could check out the variety offered– they had the “Baconado” with a skewer of bacon-wrapped jalapeno cheese balls and the “Bourbonado” with bacon-wrapped chicken with Bourbon sauce (this one is only available on the weekends, folks!).
We sat and drank our Bloodies at the bar because on Saturday nights in Milwaukee, this place gets poppin’! The dim lights and wooden touches gave Sobelman’s the classic pub feel. The establishment is housed in an old-style Victorian building kind of in the middle of nowhere (aka an industrial district across the highway from Marquette University) and may be a bit hard to find if you aren’t a Smartphone user. To conclude my experience, Sobelman’s lived up to its name and I will gladly return next time I’m in Milwaukee. Check out my review of the Sobelman’s “Queen Mary” below!
AT A GLANCE 20/20
My first impression of the Crown Mary was WOW! This thing is huge and the garnish looks outta this world. Served in a pint glass and a Coronita flipped upside down into the cocktail, looks were on point. The Crown Mary sparkled from a bright red hue and many spices floating throughout. The garnish was teeming with various food items– a slider, shrimp, cheese, pickle, brussels sprout, cherry tomato, celery, marinated mushroom, and lemon– all of which were placed delicately on skewers coming out of the cocktail.
GARNISH 20/20
Can I give a 30/20 for this one? Sobelman’s slays the garnish game– easily. I didn’t even order the famed Bloody with the entire fried chicken in it, but the Crown Mary’s garnish consisting of a slider burger, shrimp, hunk of colby jack cheese, pickle, brussels sprout, marinated mushroom, cherry tomato, celery, and lemon was extravagant in itself. The garnish was big and beautiful– each ingredient also tasted delicious.
SPICE 20/20
The spice of Sobelman’s Crown Mary was ridiculously awesome. Deep hints of cayenne pepper and cajun flavors really drew me in. With the addition of Coronita, the Bloody reminded me a bit of Michelada and had some carbonation in each sip. The Bloody was salty and spicy with a New Orleans/Cajun kick, but didn’t have a lingering bite.
TEXTURE & ACIDITY 19/20
Sobelman’s Crown Mary wasn’t acidic at all and the texture was the perfect middle ground between thick and thin. It was very filling though (also could be due to the fact that this was Bloody #4 of the day!)– and refreshing too!
UNIQUENESS 20/20
There’s no doubt that this Bloody was one of the most unique I have drank in my time. From the garnish ingredients to the Coronita flipped upside down in the cocktail, the additions to the actual cocktail were so innovative. The flavor itself was novel and super tasty (I am a big fan of Cajun-spiced Bloodies!). Each of Sobelman’s other Bloodies has cutting-edge garnish ingredients too… I cannot wait to go back and try the rest!
FINAL SCORE 99/100
If you want to try your luck downing the “Bloody Beast” or opt for one of Sobelman’s smaller (but still amazing) Bloodies, check out the pub’s website. Sobelman’s Pub N Grill is located at:
1900 West St. Paul Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53233