Bagel Bites were peak convenience novelty food that rose to popularity in an era when parents were expected to—and wanted to—work regardless of their gender, and single-parent households were becoming increasingly acceptable and common. A whole generation of latchkey kids had to fend for themselves, home alone, until their parents got home from work to feed them properly. You’d have thought from the ad campaign—that still jingles in my head, and probably yours too, to this day—that 24/7 availability of pizza was a critical societal issue that could only be solved by fusing the idea of pizza with breaded rounds that somewhat resembled bagels. Frozen, prepackaged, foolproof, solving a made-up crisis, and suspiciously fat-free…there was no way they weren’t going to dominate.

　　This pizza bagel/Bloody Mary riff is a little bit more hands-on than its inspiration. The key is the flash infusion of everything bagel spice into the vodka to give you just the right amount of garlicky, sesame-y, poppy-seedy bite but without overdoing it. The Parmesan Salt rim is really fun, and you can use the leftovers for other food-based applications like salads and pasta so that, yeah, you can kinda have pizza anytime.

　　This recipe was excerpted from ‘Saved by the Bellini' by John deBary. Buy the full book on Amazon.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 1 cocktail

　　

For the Parmesan Salt

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

　　2 Tbsp. kosher salt

　　

For the cocktail

1 Tbsp. everything bagel spice mix, plus more for garnish

　　2 oz. vodka

　　4 oz. marinara sauce

　　¾ oz. fresh lemon juice

　　⅛ tsp. hot sauce

　　1 lemon wedge

　　Parmesan Salt

　　Pork pepperoni slice and lemon wedge, for garnish

　　

Make the Parmesan Salt

Step 1

In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan and salt. Using the tips of your fingers, smoosh the salt and cheese together until evenly mixed. (Alternatively, you can use a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, if available.)

　　

Make the cocktail

Step 2

In a glass or small bowl, combine the everything bagel spice and the vodka. Let sit for 10 minutes to infuse, then strain the vodka through a fine-mesh strainer into a shaker, discarding the solids.

　　

Step 3

Add the marinara sauce, lemon juice, and hot sauce. Shake briefly, without ice, to combine.

　　

Step 4

Use a lemon wedge to moisten the rim of a tall glass and then dip it in the Parmesan Salt to coat the rim. Fill the glass with ice and pour in the contents of the shaker. Garnish with a pepperoni slice and a lemon wedge on a pick and sprinkle some everything bagel seasoning over the top. Serve with a bubble tea straw.

　　Reprinted with permission from Saved by the Bellini: & Other 90s-Inspired Cocktails by John deBary ©2023 and published by Union Square & Co. Illustrations by Clara Kirkpatrick. Buy the full book from Amazon or Union Square & Co.