Recipe

• 125ml Tomato juice

• 1.25ml Tabasco sauce

• 1ml Worcestershire sauce

• A pinch of Celery salt

• A pinch of Black pepper

• 1 stick of Celery, to serve

Stir together and serve in a collins glass, with ice and the celery stick.

Alternatively, make a batch: get a whole 1L carton of tomato juice, add the following, close the carton and shake it up. You should get about 8 glasses and it should last a week or two in the fridge.

• 10ml Tabasco sauce

• 7.5ml Worcestershire sauce

• ¼ tsp celery salt

• 4 twists of black pepper (assuming your grinder is like mine)

I've talked about how to make a Bloody Mary before, and since then I've changed my opinion on it a lot. In the old recipe (from the IBA) there's lemon juice and a lot of vodka. Both of these are actually quite harsh flavours that don't really go with the smooth savoury tomato. I eliminated the lemon juice a while ago, and realised that a small amount of vodka (perhaps one shot) is much nicer than the amount the IBA recommends. I was even aware of the Virgin Mary, a version without any vodka at all, but I hadn't tried it.

I was in a hotel in Germany a couple of years ago, and I had an epiphany at the breakfast buffet. As usual, there was salami and Nutella, and those beautiful kaiser rolls (it's almost worth going to Germany just for the hotel breakfasts). But along with the orange juice, the apple juice and the multivitaminsaft, I noticed that they had tomato juice. But not just that: they had Tabasco and salt and pepper as well. That's when it hit me: a Virgin Mary is a breakfast drink!

I had one right then and there, and I was won over straight away. This is a drink that goes really well with savoury breakfast foods (my usual beans on toast are perfect for it) and I've been making them ever since. The spice and savoury salt season the sweetness and smoothness of the tomato juice wonderfully, and the whole thing is a delight to drink, both filling and interesting. Watch out, though: the Tabasco has a real kick!

Get yourself a carton of tomato juice (the supermarket stuff is fine) and make yourself some. Even if it's not to your taste, you have to try it!