Station Creation Series | How to Build the Best Bloody Mary Mini Bar
How-To & Culinary
Created | 2019.01.17
Updated | 2021.07.26
Here in Wisconsin, we understand the Bloody Mary. A truly great bloody is only as good as its toppings, which are typically a cacophony of textures and flavors imparted by cheese curds (fresh or fried), pickled veggies, summer sausage, and Nueske's bacon. And it's only complete when served with a beer chaser-PBR or Highlife, your choice.
But let's rewind quickly and turn our attention back to the toppings. The Bloody Mary base itself can range from sweet to spicy, which means that possible topping options and combinations are endless. What better way to delight brunch visitors than by giving them control over what goes into their Bloody Mary? The majority of diners would jump at the chance to dictate which toppings crown their bloody; Technomic reports that 72% of customers expect DIY options at restaurants.
So how do you build the best Bloody Mary in town? That's where we come in. For creating any kind of station, you can take a look at our guide, but we will walk through all of the Bloody Mary-specific steps together here.
Step 1: Choose the Base
MB-4
First things first, you'll need to choose the base of your station, as this will act as the foundation for your whole station. For one Mini Station, the MB-4 base is ideal. Go with the short, 5” model (87590) – it can hold jars for five different toppings, while still fitting comfortably under your bar counter. The MB-4 base also has two cooling options to maintain ingredient freshness. Use either ice or two universal ice packs to keep things cool for up to four hours.
Step 2: Select your jars
1/9-size jar 1/12-size jar with lid
In order to fit five jars in the MB-4 base, you'll need (1) 1/9-size jar and (4) 1/12-size jars. When building a Bloody Mary, it's easier to spear toppings from a jar with a 3 1/2" depth than a 6" depth, so we recommend the shallower option. Besides, smaller capacity jars mean more frequent change-outs and therefore fresher ingredients for your customers. And small jars are more easily stashed in a nearby cooler to make change-outs even quicker.
Step 3: Time to accessorize
Station with jars and lids
For longer toppings, like pickled vegetable spears, choose a stainless steel hinged lid for easy retrieval. For smaller items, choose clear hinged lids to keep an eye on ingredient fill levels.
To build the station we have planned out, you will need the following items:
(1) 87590 | MB-4, 5"
(1) 87202 | 1/9-size jar, shallow 3 1/2", black
(1) 87211 | 1/9-size stainless lid
(4) 87925 | 1/12-size jars, shallow 3 1/2", black
(4) 87923 | 1/12-size clear hinged lids
(4) 100515 | Universal Ice Packs
Ready to serve the best Bloodies in town? Use these part numbers to order your station today!