Marinara Sauce Belongs In This Beloved Brunch Cocktail

Marinara sauce is a staple of Italian cooking, a quick-to-make blend of tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and herbs — though onions are often added for sweetness — with a thinner texture than standard tomato sauce. Traditionally used to coat pasta or as a dipper for fried appetizers like mozzarella sticks and zucchini planks, marinara sauce is extremely versatile — so versatile, in fact, that according to Susannah Brinkley Henry, cocktail blogger at Feast + West, it can be used to replace tomato juice the next time you make bloody marys for brunch.

Marinara sauce has "tons of flavor baked right in from onion, garlic[,] and herbs like basil and oregano," Henry enthused to Food Republic. "In a bloody mary, it can be magical, adding all of those layers of flavor into the mix with horseradish and hot sauce." To mix, she suggested doing some quick math to adjust the recipe and swapping about two-thirds of the amount of tomato juice for marinara instead. Then, in her opinion, you should use some kind of liquid to fill out the final third and thin it out.

That might mean adding back some tomato juice, using some lemon juice, or, she counseled, some broth. Finally, Henry advised bearing in mind the texture of the marinara you're using. "Some ... are on the chunky side with bits of tomato, herbs[,] or seeds, so you'll want to use a really good strainer once you shake it up," she said.

Because using marinara in place of tomato juice in bloody mary cocktails evokes strong Italian vibes, you might choose to garnish them accordingly. "Go all out ... and focus on classic flavors that you'd find in bowls of pasta or thrown on a pizza," our expert, Susannah Brinkley Henry, advised. Artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes are elements popular in Mediterranean pasta dishes (crisp up the artichoke hearts in the air fryer first, and thank us later). Meanwhile, "Green or black olives, prosciutto roll-ups, or even a piece of pineapple," Henry suggested, could evoke pizza. You could also experiment with pepperoni, cubes of mozzarella, and pieces of green peppers and onions.

You might make a Caprese skewer garnish, with little chunks of mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and basil, finished off with a little bit of balsamic glaze. Or prepare some toasted ravioli and alternate them on a skewer with mini meatballs or hot Italian sausage coins.

If you're hosting a party and featuring bloody marys made with marinara sauce, consider setting up a DIY bar, where your guests can make their own drinks and then assemble their own garnishes. Just be sure to include something that will appeal to everyone, including lots of marinara, tomato juice for those who prefer it, and plenty of fun ingredients for skewering.