Perk up your next brunch party with a DIY Bloody Mary bar

Those mimosas that have appeared on weekend brunch tables for years? So yesterday.

It's the Bloody Mary that's taking over the morning party hours. And it couldn't be more fun -- and tasty -- what with all the variations of this longtime standard. Or with all the extras that garnish the glass.

No need to save it for the occasional restaurant splurge. You can do this at home. Yep. Your kitchen can be party central.

Of course, you can serve a single variation of the classic drink, deck it out with some flashy ­accoutrements, and everyone will be happy.

Or you can let your guests have options to make the drink themselves -- and garnish accordingly -- and those same folks will be even happier.

There are no rules to making a good Bloody Mary, but there are elements for the home barkeeper to have on hand.

The Bloody Mary mix. Homemade (see our recipes) or a commercial variety. Better yet, have several options. For a real treat, make fresh tomato juice at the height of summer, when tomatoes are at their prime, for the best ever Bloody Mary. As with all cooking, the better the ingredients, the better the final product.

The garnishes. Offer a mix of flavors and shapes. Many traditional garnishes lean toward the pickled variety (olives, pickled green beans or asparagus), so balance them out with more savory or at least non-vinegary flavors (cheese, meat, red or yellow bell peppers, shrimp).

And, of course, there are the extreme garnishes, should you be inspired: waffles, hard-cooked eggs, fried chicken and even sliders.

As for those meat sticks on the market, consider using good quality cured meat and cutting them into shapes for the skewers. Your guests will thank you.

Skewers. The garnishes need to go somewhere! Wooden skewers, long and short, are available in most supermarkets. The long ones make it easier to balance the garnishes in the glass, especially if there are a lot of them.

Ice cubes. Must have. This is a drink that calls for ice.

Salt and fresh lime juice. Guests can coat the top of their glasses with salt, as you would a margarita. Have fresh lime juice on a plate to dip the top of the glass. Have salt options on another plate. Go with kosher or sea salt, or create a flavored blend (half salt and half celery salt mixed together, or half salt and half chipotle chile powder, or other variations).

Booze. Vodka is the standard, but bourbon, aquavit, mezcal and gin are among the ingredients found in variations of the drink. Flavored varieties of vodka suit this array of options for the make-your-own drinks.

That's it. Bring on the celery sticks.

A little background

The history of the Bloody Mary begins in the 1920s with Fernand Petiot at Harry's New York Bar in Paris, when it wasn't much more than vodka, tomato juice, salt and pepper.

He brought the recipe with him to New York after Prohibition, but it wasn't until the mid-1950s that the drink gained popularity in the U.S. By this time Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco and horseradish had been added to the mix, along with celery ribs and olives for garnishes.

Then there's the Midwestern aspect of the drink. The Bloody Mary is often served with a chaser of beer in Minnesota and Wisconsin, which has a variety of names, including snit and beer back. The reason for this addition is lost to history, although there is much wild speculation. But all agree, it's a Midwestern thing.

When Daniel del Prado, executive chef at Burch restaurant in Minneapolis, was in Oregon, a Bloody Mary with a snit of beer was called the Midwestern.

These days, it could be called a North.

CLASSIC Bloody Mary

Makes about 6 cups.

Note: The classic and tomatillo Bloody Marys are the two most popular variations at Burch restaurant in Minneapolis, says executive chef Daniel del Prado. At the restaurant, the juice, ice and 1- 1/2 ounces vodka are shaken before being added to a pint glass with a salty rim.

1-1/4 quarts (5 cups) tomato juice

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

6 tablespoons dill pickle juice

2 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons Tabasco hot sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dill seeds

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1- 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated horseradish

Celery salt

Kosher salt

Fresh lime juice

Ice cubes

Vodka (see note)

Combine tomato juice, Worcestershire, pickle juice, garlic, Tabasco, 1 teaspoon salt, dill seeds, pepper and horseradish in a blender and process until smooth.

For a salty rim on the glass: Combine 1 part celery salt to 1 part kosher salt, and place on a plate. Pour lime juice on another plate. Dip top of glass first in lime juice and then in the celery salt mixture. Add ice to the glass and carefully pour the Bloody Mary mix and vodka into the glass. Add a skewer of garnishes to the glass.

Nutrition information per 1- 1/2 cups, without alcohol or garnish: 67 calories, 0 g fat, 1,460 mg sodium, 16 g carbohydrates, 0 g saturated fat, 55 mg calcium, 3 g protein, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g dietary fiber

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 3 vegetable.

TOMATILLO Bloody Mary

Makes about 6 cups.

Note: This is the most popular Bloody Mary at Burch. When servers walk through the restaurant with this vivid green drink, everyone wants one, says executive chef Daniel del Prado. At the restaurant, the juice, ice and 1- 1/2 ounces vodka are shaken before being added to a pint glass with a salty rim.

6 tomatillos, husked and washed

4 medium green tomatoes (or substitute yellow tomatoes), cored

4 garlic cloves

2 English cucumbers, peeled

1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro (stems included)

1/2 cup roughly chopped Italian parsley (stems included)

2 serrano chiles, seeded and deveined

2 jalapenos, seeded and deveined

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (1 lemon)

1/4 cup dill pickle juice

1 tablespoon salt

Chipotle chile powder

Kosher salt

Fresh lime juice

Ice cubes

Cucumber-infused vodka

Condiments of choice

Combine tomatillos, tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers, cilantro, parsley, chiles, jalapenos, Worcestershire, lemon juice, pickle juice and 1 tablespoon salt in a blender and process until smooth.

For a salty rim on the glass: Combine 1 part chipotle chile powder and 1 part kosher salt, and place on a plate. Pour lime juice on another plate. Dip top of glass first in lime juice and then in the chile-salt mixture. Add ice to the glass and carefully pour the Bloody Mary mix and vodka into the glass. Add a skewer of garnishes to the glass.

Nutrition information per 1- 1/2 cups, without alcohol or garnish: 95 calories, 1 g fat, 2,080 mg sodium, 21 g carbohydrates, 0 g saturated fat, 84 mg calcium, 4 g protein, 0 mg cholesterol, 5 g dietary fiber

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 3 vegetable, 1/2 other carb.

BLACK PEPPER Bloody Mary

Serves 3.

Note: Anchovy fillets offer a layer of complexity to this drink. No need for any extra hot sauce. Use Tabasco and not another hot sauce, says Emeril Lagasse, who notes it's the vinegar notes in the Tabasco that the recipe needs. From "Essential Emeril."

2 oil-packed anchovy fillets

2-1/4 teaspoons prepared horseradish

2 tablespoons minced celery

1 tablespoons chopped celery leaves

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2-1/4 teaspoons Tabasco sauce (see Note)

Juice from 1/2 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)

1-3/4 cups tomato juice

1-1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Ice cubes

6 ounces (3/4 cup) vodka

Pickled green beans, for serving

3 celery hearts, for serving

3 thin slices lemon, for serving

Add the anchovies, horseradish, celery and leaves, Worcestershire, Tabasco and lemon juice to a blender with enough tomato juice to cover the blade. Blend on high for 15 seconds. Add the remaining tomato juice and continue to blend 20 seconds longer. Stir in pepper, celery salt and kosher salt. This mix will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice; add vodka and Bloody Mary mix and shake well. Strain over fresh ice in 3 (10-oz.) glasses; serve with a pickled green bean, celery heart and lemon slice.

Nutrition information per serving: 180 calories, 0 g fat, 1,060 mg sodium, 13 carbohydrates, 0 g saturated fat, 58 mg calcium, 2 g protein, 1 mg cholesterol, 2 g dietary fiber

Bloody Mary MIX

Makes about 6 cups.

Note: This is one of the offerings at Hell's Kitchen in Minneapolis at its 35-foot Bloody Mary bar. From "Damn Good Food," by Mitch Omer and Ann Bauer.

5 cups tomato juice

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

5 teaspoons lemon pepper

5 teaspoons celery salt

5 teaspoons Sweetened Ginger Puree (see recipe)

4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

3 teaspoons Tabasco sauce

2 teaspoons horseradish

Mix all ingredients together in a large stainless steel, glass or ceramic bowl. Place in a container with a tightfitting lid. Will keep refrigerated for up to 1 week. Stir well before serving.

Nutrition information per 1- 1/2 cups, without alcohol or garnish: 88 calories, 1 g fat, 3,210 mg sodium, 22 g carbohydrates, 0 g saturated fat, 8 mg calcium, 3 g protein, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g dietary fiber

SWEETENED GINGER PUREE

Makes about 2 cups.

Note: From "Damn Good Food," by Mitch Omer and Ann Bauer.

2 cups grated fresh ginger

1 cup sugar

Juice from 1 lemon

Place ginger, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat until nearly all moisture has evaporated. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Place in a food processor fitted with a steel chopping blade, and puree until smooth, 3 to 5 seconds.

Put ginger puree in a stainless steel, glass or ceramic container with a tightfitting lid and refrigerate. Will keep for up to 1 month.

This story was originally published April 5, 2016 at 5:27 PM with the headline "Perk up your next brunch party with a DIY Bloody Mary bar ."