Oyster Shooters: the Home Version

Well, Readers, after posting earlier about my oyster shooter mandate I of course ran straight out to the store to gather supplies and started experimenting. My husband informed me that he has actually NEVER HAD a bloody mary before(!) so I decided to remedy that first thing. Here is the recipe I used after a careful review of the literature available from the finest cocktail recipe websites:

Basic Bloody Mary

• 6 oz tomato juice
• 1 oz vodka
• 1 tsp Worcester sauce
• dash of Tabasco
• dash of prepared horseradish
• 1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbs fresh lime juice
• fresh ground pepper to taste
• celery stick for garnish

This turned out pretty good, my husband seemed to like it, and they also limbered up our courage for the main event: the raw oysters I got at the store were HUGE! They were also disconcertingly wiggly and slimy--like some kind of sci-fi movie alien spawn--and the jar they came in had a warning printed on it about it being unsafe to eat raw oysters--like, it says you should consult your physician first...! I don't remember being warned last night at Flabby's about this! Anyway, it was a good thing we had already had a stiff drink, so we went ahead and assembled the shooters: oysters on the bottom, then covered with the bloody mary mixture describe above. I put a little more Tabasco on top for good measure, then down the hatch they went...

I have to say, it definitely reminded me of the ocean. We may steam the oysters next time, or at least cut 'em in half--but I felt pretty good about eating them...it's been a half hour and I don't feel like calling the doctor yet, so I guess I'm in the clear. I also purchased some shelled oysters, which I am planning on grilling later tonight and eating on the half shell with more bloody mary. I will of course document this experience and report back to you...