I’ve was never a fan of the bloody mary until I had a pre-brunch bloody at Finnegan’s Wake while waiting for a table to open up at Zazie. I’m not quite sure what the old man put in my drink, but I now love the occasional (very well made) bloody mary.

As temperatures in San Francisco have reached week-long record highs, and my apartment is ecologically AC-free, the only thing that’s putting me comfortably to sleep is an ice-cold bloody mary. My off-color recipe follows:

1 ounce firewater
1 ounce good vodka
4 ounces V-8
1 dash Pickapeppa sauce
2 teaspoons meyer lemon juice
pinch very coarsely cracked pepper
pinch celery salt
3 cubes ice, cracked
Celery stalk or dill pickle spear for stirring

Pairs nicely with a tall can of PBR.