My friend Wendy makes the best Bloody Marys—full of punchy, spicy flavor. Serve them with little dishes of pickles as well as the usual cucumber and celery spears for fun mix-and-match garnishes.

Ingredients

　　Combine 4 cups tomato juice, 8 ounces (1 cup) vodka, 1/3 cup prepared horseradish, 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce, the juice of 3 limes, 1 tablespoon hot sauce, 2 teaspoons sea salt, and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in a large pitcher and stir to mix. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper, if desired, and pour over ice. Garnish with assorted pickles and serve chilled.

　　Reprinted with permission from Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen: Soulful, Traditional, Seasonal by Sara Foster. Copyright © 2011 by Sara Foster. Published by Random House. All Rights Reserved.Sara Foster is the owner of Foster's Market, the acclaimed gourmet take-out store/cafés in Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the author of several cookbooks including The Foster's Market Cookbook, winner of the Best Cookbook Award from the Southeast Booksellers Association. She has appeared numerous times on Martha Stewart Living Television and NBC's Today show. She has also been featured in magazines such as More, House Beautiful, and Southern Living, and is featured regularly in Bon Appétit.