The Hansons Get Bloodied: Steiny’s Mega bloody, Jefferson’s, American Legion

This is the chronicle of two men who share the same last name and penchant for putting alcohol into their tomato-based beverages. Two brothers from different mothers, who are united—not by blood—but by bloody. My name is Todd Hanson—maybe you know me from my Instagram pictures of Bloody Marys (#toddsbloody)? Maybe not. My friend and drinking companion on this quest is Justin Hanson, who is not only one heck of a guy, but also one heck of a bloody aficionado himself. Follow us around Winona and beyond as we seek out the best Bloody Marys this area has to offer and report back our findings in the greatest detail our bloody addled memories will allow—one drinking hole at a time. It’s a tough calling, but somebody’s got to do it.

Steiny’s Mega bloody

Location: 501 W 4th St, Winona, MN
Price: $4
Other Info: The Mega bloody is only available Sundays until gone.

Justin: Yes, we have reviewed the Steiny’s Bloody Mary before but when we went in the first time we didn’t realize that they serve a ‘Mega bloody’ on Sundays. Of course, when we heard of this we had to come back and get the bloody they are most proud of. They have their full flavor house mix as usual but add quite a few garnishes to make it their ‘Mega bloody’. The garnishes in this bloody are their standard two olives, two different types of cheese, a beef stick, and a pickle. To make it ‘mega’, they add celery with squeeze cheese, bacon (who doesn’t love bacon?!), shrimp, a cherry tomato, and pickled asparagus. The mix they make in house has a nice kick with a touch of sweetness. This is definitely one of the better house mixes in the area. I will have this one again without a doubt. To top it all off, the price is well worth every bit of what you receive and then some.

Todd: We had to come back on a Sunday when we heard about these guys (or gals, I suppose—they are Bloody Marys after all) and we were sure glad we did.  We didn’t know what “mega” was actually going to mean, but it ended up being just as it sounded.  This thing was loaded and still had that custom Steiny’s mix made-from-scratch every time.  There was no cutting corners just because it was Mega bloody day either.  And at only a quarter more than their normal bloody, this is easily the best value for a bloody in Winona I know of.

Jefferson’s Pub & Grill

Location: 58 Center St, Winona, MN
Price: $4.25

Justin: In this area there are so many different places to get a bloody. After we drove around for a bit we decided to give Jefferson’s bloody a try. We were delighted to find out that they make their own house mix from scratch that also comes with a rimmed glass (celery salt). I found out a bit into the drink that it includes tomato juice, a touch of au jus, garlic, cayenne pepper, Worcestershire, and lime juice. At first, the flavor of the mix catches you off guard and then hits your taste buds with a surprisingly good power packed flavor. It is on the thinner side of bloodies yet is flavorful. The garnishes that accompany this bloody are a pickle, an olive, and a lime. They also offer a large variety of tap beers for the chaser. I chose the 90 Shilling Ale from the Odell Brewing Company out of Fort Collin’s, Colorado – a nice touch to a distinct Winona bloody.

Todd: I’ve had this one in the past and I’ve always liked it but this was the first time I actually found out what was in it. I really liked the fact that they used their au jus in the mix and that it was all from scratch.  The bartender we had says he personally puts some A1 steak sauce in it too, but didn’t know if other ones there did or not.  I often put A1 in mine at home too, so I was down with that, fo’ shizzle. I also liked, of course, that it came in a rimmed glass.  They have 11 different taps of good beer to choose from as well for your chaser and I ended up going with Mankato Brewery’s Organ Grinder based solely on the name.  In summation, this is a delicious bloody that focuses more on taste than garnishes.

American Legion

Location: 302 E Sarnia St, Winona, MN
Price: $4

Justin: I had a few people suggest to me to give this Bloody Mary a try – this is something we really appreciate from people to give us some direction in our Bloody Mary adventures. If you have never been inside, it is absolutely a place to check out. This was our first stop of the hot afternoon and the bloody was just what my mouth was looking forward to. They don’t have a house mix but take Zing Zang Bloody Mary Mix and doctor it up a bit with pickle juice, celery salt, Worcestershire, and your choice of hot sauce. The one I ordered was made with Frank’s Red Hot and your standard rail vodka. The bartender also asked if we wanted horseradish in our drinks – the answer to that question for me is always a yes. I am a big fan of Zing Zang, yet enjoy it even more when it is properly doctored. The American Legion does an excellent job of doctoring it up right. The garnishes that come with this bloody are an olive, a pickled mushroom, a pickle, a lemon wedge, as well as a lime wedge. This bloody was a perfect fit for what my palate was craving on an early summer afternoon.

Todd: I had had this one awhile back but people had mentioned it to us in person and on The Noisy Neighbor Facebook page so we thought we’d go check it out. I liked when I ordered it I was asked four different questions first.  1) Do you want it spicey? Yes.  2) Do you want Frank’s or Tabasco? Uh, Tabsco. 3) Do you want to try it with Sriracha vodka? Yes. (Surprisingly, that stuff is produced by UV which I mostly associate with fruity flavored vodka that college freshmen use to get “shwasted”. I thought it was pretty good though.) 4) Finally, do you want horseradish? Yes. We found out they don’t use a house mix but Zing Zang though they doctor it up quite well and with the Tabasco and the Sriracha vodka it was the spiciest bloody I’ve had in Winona yet which is totally fine by me. They’ve got a nice assortment of taps too. (I had Chicago brewery Goose Island’s 312 as my chaser.) Also, they’ve got a nice full two-sided rectanglular bar and the folks in there have always been very friendly in my experience.

Header photo credit: Sarah Roberts