Hip Sips

Bloody Wonderful

    For those of us who see the mimosa as a way to ruin perfectly good champagne or, on the other hand, as a feeble attempt to disguise the sweet and nasty stuff with processed orange juice, we have a good reason to erase it from our list of scourges. Mike Voisenat has come up with a spicy and creative alternative. During Saturday and Sunday brunches at The Hobnob, he opens his Build Your Own Bloody Mary Bar. “People have strong ideas on how they like a Bloody Mary mixed,” the owner-bartender says. And he should know, having spent the past 25 years in and around bars, learning about drinks and the quirks of customers.
    On weekends, when the kitchen serves brunch from 10:30 a.m., you can ask Voisenat to mix a Mary “his way.” Otherwise, pay $5 for vodka and ice in a glass—and then have fun doing it yourself. On a side section of the bar, you will find regular tomato juice, Bloody Mary mix, green beans, celery, olives, limes and lemons, Worcestershire sauce, habañero sauce, Tabasco, celery salt, fresh-mixed horseradish—the list goes on. The possibilities are endless. The only constraints are your constitution and your taste buds.
    As an option to the Bloody Mary, there is always Voisenat’s list of signature cocktails, all $6.50. For the morning hours and to get in some greens after the Mary red, try the cucito—gin, crushed cucumber and mint, lime juice and 7-Up, shaken then strained into a tall glass.
    If mimosa is your must-have, The Hobnob serves them with brunch at $3 a pop. But depending on how you stir it, the Mary does it bloody and best.
    The Hobnob Eats & Drinks, 1313 Park St.; 5 p.m.–12 a.m. Tue.–Thu., 5 p.m.–2 a.m. Fri., 10:30 a.m.–2 a.m. Sat. and 10:30 a.m.–12 a.m. Sun.; (510) 769-1011; www.thehobnobalameda.com.