This Old Michigan Fishing Village Is Famous For Whitefish And A Bloody Mary Unlike Any Other

A Bloody Mary may or may not be the best hangover cure, but this sanguine cocktail has been with us since at least the 1930s. A century or so of history is more than enough time to experiment with the basic combination of tomato juice, vodka, and seasonings in a classic Bloody Mary. Leland, Michigan's The Cove, has taken the Bloody Mary to a whole new level. It seems only natural that a restaurant located in historic Fishtown, a popular shanty-filled working waterfront on the Leland River, the shy-of-a-mile waterway that connects Lake Leelanau and Lake Michigan, would incorporate a local fish into its signature cocktail: the Chubby Mary.

While some might argue that chub, a fish found throughout the Great Lakes, is better served as an added ingredient in smoked fish dip, The Cove stands by its decision to stick an entire smoked chub, tail first, into a glass of Bloody Mary. Garnished with house-made pickles and olives, the Chubby Mary is served with a plate so that customers may remove the fish and enjoy it as a snack alongside their drink. Although the Chubby Mary may have started out as a joke inspired by the "Super Bass-O-Matic" sketch on Saturday Night Live, it has gained a following. Fans say that the smokiness of the chub is the perfect foil to the acid of the cocktail's tomato juice.

The Leland River, almost to the northwest tip of Michigan's lower peninsula along Lake Michigan's shore, has long been a popular fishing spot, first for the Ottawa, then for European settlers. A fishing village established in the mid-1800s continues to operate to this day, one of the last of its kind on the Great Lakes. Affectionately called Fishtown, this thriving historic district is home to a working fishery, restaurants, small shops for tourists, as well as fish shanties that date back over a century, where commercial fishers once mended their gear and processed the daily catch. Walking the weathered boards of Fishtown's docks is like stepping back in time. It's difficult to think of a more perfect birthplace for a fishy cocktail like the Chubby Mary.

Nowadays, you can still buy fresh as well as smoked fish in Fishtown. Many of the restaurants, including The Cove, also serve whitefish, one of the most popular and plentiful fishes on the Great Lakes. For a really fresh catch, visitors can charter a fishing boat to take them out on Lake Michigan or fish from the docks.