Hate Bloody Marys? These 3 Bloody Marys Are for You.

When it comes to the Bloody Mary, you say “tomato,” I say “no, thanks.” While a tomato fresh from the garden can be a beautiful thing, something about tomato juice has always been a deal-breaker for me. And that includes the brunch staple, which I’ve always regarded as a sinister attempt to cover up the tinny off-puttingly viscous fallacy that is tomato juice.

So when The Bloody Mary: The Lore and Legend of a Cocktail Classic, with Recipes for Brunch and Beyond (Ten Speed Press, $19), a new book by Brian Bartels, landed on my desk, my first response was an automatic crinkle of the nose. No, thanks. But it turns out, the book contains plenty of Bloody variations that include little or no tomato juice. Instead, a whole rainbow of other juices get the eye-opener treatment: papaya, orange, cucumber, carrots and beets. Maybe there’s brunch hope for tomato juice haters like me after all.