The Easy Mistake To Avoid For Perfect Bloody Marys

When it comes to a hangover, we've all been there. There's nothing that rivals that hammering headache, the dry, crusty throat, and let's not forget all of the anxiety that comes with remembering how you overshared to a poor innocent soul at the bar. Well, maybe death rivals that. According to Mayo Clinic, the best way to cure a hangover is simple — drink water, eat some food, rest, and wait it out. The fun way? Hair of the dog.

Although you're only delaying the inevitable, Healthline says enjoying an alcoholic drink during a hangover will bring your blood alcohol content back up, making you feel intoxicated and euphoric rather than run-down and depressed. If you're not into boozy coffee or throwing back shots, one of the most popular morning hangover drinks is a bloody mary. Maybe you like yours with a Tajín-salted rim, garnished with a skewer of bacon, pickled okra, and olives, or perhaps you just like it cold and strong. Either way, the non-alcoholic ingredients in bloody marys can help replenish the electrolytes and essential vitamins you lost on your bender, making it a go-to order for Sunday brunch with a hangover (per Serious Eats).

As good as a bloody can be, it can also be unappetizing if you're not preparing them correctly. But there's one bloody mary faux pas that, when avoided, will always yield great results.

A classic bloody mary recipe involves a handful of common household ingredients — vodka, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lemon, salt, pepper, celery, and of course, tomato juice. But when the tomato juice is added directly over ice and the hangover-killer's other necessary ingredients, it can melt the ice and lead to a weird, watery mess. Watery bloody marys also end up diluting the sting from the hot sauce and the umami kick from the Worcestershire sauce.

T.J. Lynch, owner of NYC bar and lounge Mother's Ruin tells Thrillist that the best way to avoid a watery bloody mary is to chill the tomato juice before adding it to the rest of the cocktail mix. He adds that serving a bloody mary in a chilled glass is not a necessary step, but a helpful one to maintain an ice-cold temperature while you enjoy your drink.

The Guardian says that shaking up a bloody mary will leave you with foamy tomato juice. Instead, you can try "rolling" the cocktail by using two glasses to alternate pouring back and forth to thoroughly mix ingredients and chill your tomato juice without getting a foamy texture. Moral of the story: Don't make your hangover any worse than they need to be by using lukewarm tomato juice. Keep it icy, fresh, and remember. It's not shaken, not stirred, but rolled!