““If you know how to make Bloody Marys, Martinis and Margaritas, you’ll never starve.””
At least that’s what a seasoned bartender told John Willard in 1972 when he started working as a bartender at a beloved student tavern at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. And if you ask anyone who’s ever met John Willard, they’ll tell you the man has never starved!
After college John took his skills to Chicago, where the Bloody Mary is a very popular drink, and began bartending at the old Four Farthings Tavern on Cleveland Avenue. It was there that he perfected his recipe. Making Bloody Mary’s from scratch they became a huge hit and people started coming just to taste a John Willard Bloody Mary. A huge hit, but time-consuming to make, the owner asked John to find a way to make his very popular drink FASTER! Being an astute bartender and recognizing the importance of providing customers a high-quality hand-crafted cocktail without the wait; he created a Worcestershire sauce-based mix, loaded with seasonings. He could simply add the mix to vodka and tomato juice, and presto, a customized Bloody Mary arrived in his patron’s waiting hands. Mild, no problem; spicy, no problem. Everyone loved John’s Bloody Marys!
John started marketing his recipe under the name “John Willard’s Bloody Mary Seasoning” and had early success in the Bloody Mary loving states of Wisconsin and Illinois, plus other areas including even being served in the famous Mickey Mantle’s restaurant on Central Park South in New York City. However, as with most of us, raising family and other things in life began to take priority.
Over the next 25 years, John’s business became more of a hobby and he continued to produce the product for friends who would not settle for anything but being “woken up” by a Bloody Mary made with John Willard’s Bloody Mary Seasoning.
Two of those friends were Tim Ells, a fraternity brother of John’s, and Peter Ells, Tim’s nephew. For years, Peter would bring several gallons of Bloody Marys to the local 4th of July parade to help friends kick off the holiday. Using John Willard’s Bloody Mary Seasoning, he would create a batch of mild, medium, and spicy Bloody Marys...and for those friends really needing a jump start, he would make an extra spicy mix nicknamed “hair of the dog” to wake up them up!
Now, fast forward to 2017, after some nudging from friends, Peter, John and Tim decided that John Willard’s Bloody Mary Seasoning should be waking up more than just parade friends. So now, using the same recipe John created in his early bartending days making Bloody Marys from scratch; same great taste, all-natural ingredients, it’s on the market. There are plenty of mixes and seasonings that have come (and gone!) since John mixed his, but none has the unique taste that John created behind the bar in 1972. It’s the perfect seasoning for a bartender who can make a “from scratch” Bloody Mary quickly, or for simply entertaining at home and wanting to look like a pro. A good idea never dies, and John Willard’s Bloody Mary Seasoning never did. Now it’s back on the shelves, in bars and available online. It’s about time. Raise a glass with us and tell us what you think!
