Toast with a Bloody Mary

Diane Mina’s Garden Grown Blends® uplifts the iconic drink to new heights.

Founder and restaurateur Diane Mina crafts her own version of the Bloody Mary with Diane Mina’s Garden Grown Blends®. This first-of-its-kind bloody mary mix is made with 100 percent Italian tomatoes and fresh herbs, originating with Diane’s Bloody Mary.
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The iconic Bloody Mary Cocktail is a delightful blend of spirits (vodka, tequila, bourbon, gin), tomato juice, spices, and flavorings, including Worcestershire sauce, hot sauces, garlic, herbs, horseradish, celery, olives, salt, black pepper, lemon juice, lime juice, and celery salt.

Diane’s Bloody Mary’s are affectionately considered the Chef’s Choice with the carefully chosen ingredients, the technique in which she combines her products, and the promise to deliver the freshest tasting bloody Mary mix to the food and beverage industry.

Mina created this Italian tomato blend from her 35 years of restaurant and hotel operations and event design. Her signature blend consists of heirloom tomatoes, herbaceous herbs, savory spices, organic celery seed, rich olive brine, horseradish root, lemon, and lime citrus.

“Our No. 1 ingredient is the tomato from Italy, and the rest of our proprietary select ingredients are from various family-owned, family-operated farmers and growers from the U.S.,” explains Mina.

Born and raised in Long Island, Mina said she fell in love with the Bloody Mary while at her families’ “social gatherings.” These were more like full-blown traditional east coast clambakes that included delicious seafood, sweet corn on the cob, chicken, and baked potatoes, all steamed over a pit either in-ground or large grill typically under a bed of seaweed. There was always a self-serve build-your-own Bloody Mary packed with hot sauces, savory spices, pickled veggies, and various salts and peppers. Guests could create what they considered to be the perfect Bloody Mary.

According to Mina, the Bloody Mary continues to be a favorite drink because “of the complexities of the folded in ingredients and the playful nature of its evolution such as rich umami flavors with a sweet and salty finish.”

As for the many variations of the Bloody Mary, “My take is that from its origin in 1921 by Fernand Petiot, bartender who has been noted to have invented the Bloody Mary at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, these simple ingredients of tomato juice, tabasco, lemon, salt, and pepper, finish with your spirit and voila. It was such an enticing burst of flavors that many wanted to show their flavor moves. It’s a playful cocktail.

“Once a Bloody Mary connoisseur lands their perfect concoction, it becomes very personal, and they wear a badge of pride claiming their famed creation alongside the visionary bartender, Fernand Petiot.”

Mina entered the food and beverage industry because “It was a beautiful result through the love of entertaining and service in both my personal and professional restaurant career.” As for any challenges she faced as a woman in the industry, “any obstacle I faced in bringing a product to the marketplace was not gender-specific. It’s having the courage, support, and vision to make a great product with the goal of making people feel good about using it. I will say it is wonderful to see more’ women created, women-owned, women operated’ companies in our beverage category.”

Diane and her husband, celebrity chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author and founder of the Mina Group, Michael Mina, have shared the love of food, celebrations, and hospitality for over three decades. The restaurant management company operates over 45 restaurants worldwide.

“Working with my husband is an absolute gift. In my 33 married years, my experience as co-creator in our restaurant collaborations, we are in line. We didn’t disagree too much when operating and running our restaurants because we both love to serve and make certain people have memorable experiences. We are very passionate people and are blessed to work with very talented people in both our companies who feel that same desire and passion for extending that vision and love hospitality to each guest. We want all our guests to feel welcomed, valued, and loved through every aspect of their dining experience in our restaurant business and enjoy our garden-grown bloody mary mixers.”

Diane Mina’s Garden Grown Blends® are available at Southern Glazers Wine & Spirits (California, Florida, Hawaii, Nevada), Sysco (Nevada, Arizona, Maryland, Michigan, Georgia, Washington, D.C.) Additional store locators are online at dianemina.net.

Both Diane’s Original and Dirty Diane’s Jalapeno Bloody Mary Mixers are served at Mina Group restaurants, Four Seasons Hotels, Marriot Hotels, and 300 outlets within MGM hotel properties in Nevada and Florida. The blends are available in outlets in airports in Atlanta, Detroit, and Washington D.C.

Follow on social media on Facebook @ dianesbloodymary and Instagram @ dianesbloodymary.

Diane’s Original mixer

100 percent Italian tomatoes, olive brine, grated horseradish, organic celery seed, Worcestershire (fish free), lemon juice, red wine vinegar, red pepper, salt, honey, five peppercorn blend.