Pravda. The Russian Mary: Hold your Horses.
Hello friends! Spice Girl here and I’m very honored to be a part of The Drunken Tomato’s quest for the best and worst of everyone’s favorite brunch libation. Although, let’s be honest - Bloody Marys are great any time of day! Case in point, this weekend I found myself in need of one as a post ramen dinner and post ear-piercing treat. A friend of mine who tends to enjoy Bloody Marys at 2:00AM on Saturday nights suggested I try Pravda in Soho, a Russian bar known for their wide selection of (obviously) vodka. Their website boasts over 70 different types of vodka including 10 house infused flavors. They aptly call their concoction a “Russian Mary” which features horseradish infused vodka and tomato and lime juice. The menu also has a star at the bottom that claims freshly squeezed juices are used in all cocktails. Needless to say, this sounded very promising. Infusions and fresh juices are the stuff dreams are made of in my Bloody Mary recipe book. Unfortunately, this cocktail did not live up to my expectations. It was certainly not bad, but it was also not mind blowing. The horseradish was definitely present, but as far as any other spice goes, it was essentially non-existent. The drink tasted good, but the only exciting thing about it was the horseradish. I’m not even sure I could taste the infused vodka as there was a lot of horseradish floating around in the drink (eg: I could barely suck through the tiny straw without getting bits of it stuck in there) so it was difficult to determine a difference. While it had the delicious sharp bite of horseradish, it was missing the peppery spice of hot sauce. Also, I’m not so sure the juices were fresh. Maybe the lime juice, which I found sorely lacking. When you list lime juice as a key ingredient, I expect it to stand out. It did not. On the positive side, I enjoyed the garnishes, which included three large olives, a celery stalk and a lemon. I would give this Bloody Mary a Celery Stalk rating. For those of you who really enjoy horseradish and not much else about Bloody Marys, head to Pravda and try the Russian Mary.
Pravda 281 Lafayette Street, New York, New York 10012. T: (212) 226-4696.
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