Perhaps you didn’t know that January 1 is National Bloody Mary Day. Makes sense right? Cappy’s Chowder House & Restaurant has this formula down for the bedraggled partygoers who want to come in for a little zip in their sip.

We checked in with bartender Ann Flagg Campbell, who uses a house recipe for Cappy’s official hangover cure called a Bloody Bloody.

Long before hipsters co-opted the mason jar, Cappy’s has been serving their cocktails in this grip-friendly glassware for decades and this is how the Bloody Bloody is served. Not only do they rim the jar with special seasonings, but they also make their Bloody Mary mix from scratch (with some secret ingredients even Ann can’t tell you!) and the result is a extremely light with a peppery, zingy taste that is topped off with a crispy (almost cucumber-like) local Morse’s pickle.

Some Bloody Mary mixes are so thick it’s like drinking a jar of salsa, but Cappy’s homemade Bloody Bloody has a thin consistency with phat flavor. It’s that good, you can down two or more. Not all Bloodies can deliver this.

We did a very informal survey on who has the best Bloodies in the Midcoast for National Bloody Mary Day and, according to locals, other restaurants and bars who can take the tomato and spin it into a delectable drink include Home Kitchen Cafe, The Landings and Cafe Miranda—all Rockland establishments.

Watch our video to see how Cappy’s makes theirs. To make this drink at home all you need is:

• Absolute Peppar vodka
• Homemade Bloody mix including tomato juice, salt, pepper, lemon, lime, horseradish and Worcestershire sauce
• Fresh squeezed lime
• Morse’s Full Sour pickles
• Green olives
• Long toothpick for garnish
• Celery salt and pepper
• Mason Jar

A note on the Morse’s pickles. Morse’s Sauerkraut and European Deli out of Waldoboro is one of those under-the radar places that provides some stellar old-world ingredients, like these pickles. Cappy’s offers both the “Half Sour” and the “Full Sour” option for your Bloody Mary; the first being more of a garlic, pickled bite and the later more of a crunchy, cucumber bite (which I preferred in their Bloody Bloody). To find out where you can get Morse’s pickles for this cocktail visit: morsessauerkraut.com

All in all this is a Bloody Good Drink. Cappy’s will be ready for you.

Related story: Iconic Craft Cocktails of The Midcoast

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com