Garnish:
2 strips bacon, cut into thirds
6 wooden or bamboo skewers, 4″-6″ in length
6 pickled okra
1 lime, cut into wedges
Cocktail:
6 oz tomato juice (177ml)
6 oz clam juice (177 ml)
3 oz tequila (substitute vodka if preferred) (89ml)
1 tbsp. Maggi liquid seasoning (15 ml)
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper (1 gr)
Juice of 1 lemon or lime
Heat the broiler in your oven, and make sure the oven rack is close to the heat element, but not at the highest level, as that will cause the bacon to burn quickly.
To make the bacon curl garnishes, allow the bacon to come to room temperature so it is easier to roll, about 10 minutes. Roll the bacon into a tight pinwheel, and pierce with a skewer so that the curl is at the midpoint of the skewer. Place in a pan with sides, and broil for 5 minutes. Keep an eye on them, as they can burn quickly. If the bacon curls do not look crispy enough, allow to cook for 1-2 more minutes. Remove from the broiler, and allow the curls to cool and drain on paper towels.
Once the curls are cool, take two of the skewers with the cooked bacon curls, and thread a pickled okra and a lime wedge onto the skewer. Set aside as your garnish. The remaining bacon curls, pickled okra and lime wedges can be assembled on a plate for snacking.
Combine the tomato juice, clam juice, tequila, Maggi liquid seasoning, black pepper and lime juice in a small pitcher. Along with your cocktail glasses, chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, and then serve over an ice cube in the chilled glass.
I prefer low-salt V8 juice in single serving cans, which are 5.5 oz in size, not 6oz.
No matter, I use them anyway. After checking all the available packaging of clam juice and tomato/ veggie juices, none of them match up so you have a waste-free cocktail. Tomato veggie juice comes in 5.5oz cans and 11.5 oz cans, and clam juice comes in 8oz bottles. The good news is that if you are having a party, tomato, veggie and clam juices all come in 46oz cans. The clam juice and veggie/tomato juice should always be in equal measure, so a party size batch is always easier than mixing up cocktails for a smaller crowd.
Also, I was not a fan of the dilution of flavor caused by adding ice. Consider making your cocktails ahead of time, and chilling them in the fridge for fuller flavor. Once the cocktail is chilled, you can add 1-2 cubes of ice to keep it cold.