This post was originally published on May 18, 2015.
Friday was a splendid day– the first Friday I have had off of work in quite some time. My best friends from home were in town and I wanted to take them out to a nice brunch– what better place to do that than Sassafras, the Southern-style eatery in Capitol Hill (there’s another location in Denver, as well, but this location doesn’t have alcoholic beverages). We sat at a large booth and thoroughly enjoyed our time at the restaurant. I ordered the fried green tomato benedict, which was pretty good, but I probably wouldn’t order it again. My favorite dish at Sassafras is still the breakfast mac. Anyways, I have been waiting to try the Tour de Force at Sassafras, which is a Bloody Mary flight consisting of four Bloody Marys of your choice. I decided to order the Queen Mary, Sassafras, Garden Fresh, and Tale of the Pig Bloody Mary tasters. For a whopping $18, the Tour de Force was not cheap, but it was well worth it. As the restaurant’s other Bloody Marys are $9, I would say the Tour de Force is a better deal because I believe the flight contains a little more “beverage” than ordering two regular Bloody Marys. You can read some details about each of the individual Bloody Marys that I chose for my Tour de Force below. I did not give a rating for these Bloodys, as each was significantly different and I could not compositely rate the four together.
QUEEN MARY
The Queen Mary was a “green” Bloody Mary and is bursting with tropical flavors and color. It’s made with green tomato coulis (a thicker sauce made from pureeing and straining fruits or vegetables), citrus, green chili, and pickled pepper vodka. The Queen was garnished with slices of orange, pineapple, and lime. The flavor was hot and you could really taste a lot of pepper and other spices. The Bloody had a nice tang to it– the pineapple flavor within the drink was a nice compliment to the more tart taste of a green tomato.
SASSAFRAS
You can see my full review and rating of the Sassafras Bloody Mary here. The Sassafras Bloody Mary was probably my favorite out of the four because of its traditional Bloody Mary taste with a hint of smokiness. It’s crafted with roasted pequillos (a sweet tasting pepper without much heat), cajun spices, and garlic and dill infused vodka. The cocktail was garnished with a quail egg, bacon, lemon slice, and was rimmed with a cajun spice. I love the deep and complex flavors of this Bloody– it was very soothing for my hangover– while the mix was thick and delicious.
GARDEN FRESH
The Garden Fresh Bloody Mary contained explosions of crisp vegetable infusions. The Garden Fresh was made with organic tomatoes, fresh herbs, and herb infused vodka and was garnished with pickled cauliflower and carrot, along with a lemon wedge. The consistency was perfect and you could really taste different herbs like dill and pepper throughout the cocktail. The fresh tomatoes gave a pure and healthy feel to the Garden Fresh Bloody.
TALE OF THE PIG
The Tale of the Pig Bloody Mary was my least favorite of the Tour de Force because it had a weird flavor to it and I didn’t really understand it. It’s made with smoked peppers, carolina BBQ sauce, pickled pig’s feet vodka, and mezcal (a distilled alcohol that is a form of agave, which is made from the maguey plant). The Bloody was garnished with a pickle, slice of bacon, and lemon wedge. I didn’t think the Carolina BBQ and mezcal went well together; instead, the combination of the two resulted in more of a “WTF???” taste in my mouth.
Sassafras has a Bloody Mary for everyone– whether you are a vegetarian or someone who loves eclectic flavors. Other Bloody Marys you can choose from include the Marie Laveau (very spicy with habanero infused vodka), the Bloody Maria (made with fresno and pineapple tequila), and the Bloody Baron (crafted with lager, cilantro, and lime– somewhat similar to a Michelada) I recommend stopping in for a Southern-inspired bite to eat sometime!
Check out Sassafras here. Sassafras Capitol Hill is located at:
320 East Colfax Ave, Denver, CO, 80203