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Toast with a
BloodyMary Diane Mina’s Garden Grown Blends® uplifts the iconic drink to new heights
By Debbie Hall Photos Supplied
Founder and restaurateur Diane Mina crafts her own version of the Bloody Mary with Diane Mina’s Garden Grown Blends®. This first-of-its-kind bloody mary mix is made with 100 percent Italian tomatoes and fresh herbs, originating with Diane’s Bloody Mary. The iconic Bloody Mary Cocktail is a delightful blend of spirits (vodka, tequila, bourbon, gin), tomato juice, spices, and flavorings, including Worcestershire sauce, hot sauces, garlic, herbs, horseradish, celery, olives, salt, black pepper, lemon juice, lime juice, and celery salt. Diane’s Bloody Mary’s are affectionately considered the Chef’s Choice with the carefully chosen ingredients, the technique in which she combines her products, and the promise to deliver the freshest tasting bloody Mary mix to the food and beverage industry. Mina created this Italian tomato blend from her 35 years of restaurant and hotel operations and event design. Her signature blend consists of heirloom tomatoes, herbaceous herbs, savory spices, organic celery seed, rich olive brine, horseradish root, lemon, and lime citrus.
“Our No. 1 ingredient is the tomato from Italy, and the rest of our proprietary select ingredients are from various family-owned, family-operated farmers and growers from the U.S.,” explains Mina. Born and raised in Long Island, Mina said she fell in love with the Bloody Mary while at her families’ “social gatherings.” These were more like fullblown traditional east coast clambakes that included delicious seafood, sweet corn on the cob, chicken, and baked potatoes, all steamed over a pit either in-ground or large grill typically under a bed of seaweed. There was always a self-serve build-your-own Bloody Mary packed with hot sauces, savory spices, pickled veggies, and various salts and peppers. Guests could create what they considered to be the perfect Bloody Mary. According to Mina, the Bloody Mary continues to be a favorite drink because “of the complexities of the folded in ingredients and the playful nature of its evolution such as rich umami flavors with a sweet and salty finish.” As for the many variations of the Bloody Mary, “My take is that from its origin in 1921 by Fernand Petiot, bartender who
Page 11 | Food & Beverage Magazine v April Issue 2022
Bloody Mary continues to be a favorite drink because “of the complexities of the folded in ingredients and the playful nature of its evolution such as rich umami flavors with a sweet and salty finish.”
