Good morning on this wonderful almost Solstice Monday. It’s time to review some Bloody Marys!

I had a panic moment when I was preparing to write this post. I haven’t had too many Bloodies over the last 6 months, I haven’t really been in the mood, and brunch hasn’t been happening as much as I thought it would when we got new “normal people” jobs. There’s an aspect of laziness, and still some scheduling issues where J’s work finishes up a hair too late for brunch. But I have had a few, so I went to locate my photos, and for 2 of the places the photos were gone. No problem, I use google photos for backup, they must be there. Nope, also gone. Ok, whelp, nothing I can do now, I’ll just have to go on without them. *sad face*

Hold up! Smart Past-me had already uploaded them to dropbox! Thank you, Smart Past-me!

Brownie’s Sports Bar has become a regular spot for us, as it’s in walking distance, and we like to play trivia there on Wednesday nights. They’ve dabbled in brunch in the past, but we had never made it. They started it up again, serving brunch Saturdays and Sundays and we found ourselves there one afternoon.

Garnished with lemon, lime and bacon, this mason jar cocktail features a house made mix that is fairly thick, with a strong horseradish flavor.

Brownie’s has a solid menu, with unexpected dishes and specials you wouldn’t expect from a “sports bar”. Brunch is no different. And this Bloody is a solid, tasty offering for only FIVE DOLLARS! It’s definitely a deal and worth a visit. And if, like J, Bloody Marys aren’t your thing, they have bottomless mimosas, and a rotating craft beer menu.

Next up is a fairly new cafe called Craft Coffee House. This is not in an area we would typically find ourselves in, it’s kind of a rural spot between towns. The address says it’s Lockport, but….not LOCKPORT Lockport. However the parents recommended it, so we gave it a shot.

As you can see, it’s very, very basic. The menu claims it’s made with smoked tomatoes, however I did not pick that flavor up at all. To me, it was just vodka in tomato juice. Very plain, no spice, although I can’t remember if I asked for it spicy or not (you order online from the table, so it’s likely there was no option to add spice.) I mean….It was fine. I guess. It’s not what I want from a Bloody, and it most definitely is not worth $8. It may look huge compared to my tiny cappuccino, but I assure you, it was not.

This past weekend brought Father’s Day and my mom’s birthday (today actually!), so I took them out for brunch to Graylynn Gin Bar and Bistro. I have posted about them before but it was not a real, true Bloody Mary that time. With a brunch visit, I was able to order their Red Snapper – a gin based Bloody Mary.

Featuring London Dry Gin and Toma Bloody Mary mix, this was a solid cocktail, that you’d never know had gin instead of vodka. I know gin scares some people, and dry gin is maybe not what I’d call my favorite, but truly, you couldn’t tell. The Toma mix, which I don’t believe I’ve had before, had a good flavor, with a good thickness. Garnished with an olive and lime, it’s a simple drink, but unlike Craft Coffee House, one worth drinking.

And brunch was fantastic. As a table we ordered the full English breakfast, the breakfast butty, and avocado toasts, and the servings were large and delicious. Avocado toast can make me nervous, because it’s usually expensive and you might just get one piece of bread with a schmear of avocado. Not here, 2 large pieces of bread, a ton of avocado, and toppings (onion and tomato, I think. I am not sure, I had the full English). The butty was HUGE, like a sub, and my full English had the right amount of each thing. I definitely recommend it, and will be back. And again, if you go with a companion who doesn’t like Bloodies, they have other brunch offerings like mimosas, and a huge great looking cocktail menu (mostly gin based, as they are a gin bar, but they do have limited types of other spirits.)

Until next time, Happy Summer!