Anthony Bourdain Loved This Brunch Cocktail Even Though He Hated Brunch

For as innocuous as it may seem — a paean to carefree day drinking and eggs several ways — brunch is among the most divisive of all possible meals. Detractors of the weekend's favorite feast have plenty to decry: Brunch can be a poor value, it's often badly executed, and it's typically fairly boring, with even the most casual critics able to rattle off the most common menu items without much thought. And the late world-traveling celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain was among the boldest names on the no-brunch brigade.

Having worked enough of those dastardly brunch shifts (with zero fondness and what he even described to The Hollywood Reporter as "a pathological aversion" to the occasion), Bourdain was more informed than most about the portmanteau's pitfalls. But even he could not resist the siren song of brunch's iconic cocktail: the bloody Mary. As you might have imagined, however, Bourdain wasn't exactly captivated by the prefab, mass-market mix that you can buy by the liter, but rather a much more elegant take that one can still endeavor to recreate at home.

On a visit to Tokyo's Piano Bar on Anthony Bourdain's acclaimed television show "No Reservations" (via Facebook), a highly skilled bartender recommends a bloody Mary with fresh tomatoes. Fresh ingredients are key to the best bloodies everywhere, and here we see the beverage professional hand-juicing a ripe tomato with a manual device not unlike a citrus reamer. It's shaken with sherry wine vinegar for a libation that's lighter in color and consistency than the bloody Marys you might be used to at local brunch spots.

Here, the bartender has created a riff on the heavier bloody Marys that top brunch tables near and far. You can make the best bloody Mary you've ever tasted with riffs that suit your own taste. Aquavit is an unconventional spirit swap to give your bloody Mary a flavor boost. Fish sauce will also give your boozy tomato tipple an umami punch. And if you're planning to sip on one (or several) at a restaurant or bar rather than making the classic brunch cocktail at home, there are some mistakes you should try to avoid when ordering your next bloody Mary.