After a night of New Years Eve partying, many will mark the new year with a hangover. And the best cure is to keep drinking, of course. If you can manage, drive or crawl to SOL Cocina in Newport Beach for one of the best Bloody Marys in Orange County.
After trying about 30 Bloody Mary recipes, SOL Cocina settled on one and it has just the right ratio of spice to tomato juice and vodka. Although is this typically a Sunday afternoon-type drink, it's sure to cure your hangover, and it has to count as a serving of vegetables, right?
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One of SOL's bartenders, Colin, spilled the secret of how they make such a strong and delicious Bloody Mary–a dash of A1 Steak Sauce and homemade hot sauce. I would have never guessed these were the secret ingredients, but after finding out, this drink did have a bit of a smoky flavor to match the spice, making this so much better than the standard Bloody Mary (vodka, tomato juice, lemon, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco). SOL serves their Bloody Marys with lime, lemon and olives, garnish that both looks good and enhances the flavors of the drink.
If Bloddy Marys aren't your style, you can always go for one of SOL's specialty cocktails–they should also postpone your hangover. I'd recommend the Blackberry Mint Martini or Partida Margarita. If you can appreciate a good tequila, ask Colin for one of his recommendations–that's how I discovered the Partida Margarita, a tart take on the traditional margarita.
