By Lorin Gaudin

It seems rather obvious, but one of the most crave-worthy cocktails during Carnival is the bloody Mary. As an eye-opener, a day-after-the night-before reviver, bloody Marys hit the spot. There are a vast number of recipes and plenty of legend and lore about the drink's origin, but we follow the K.I.S.S. principle—where to go for a great drink that's really nothing more than jacked-up tomato juice (heat and spice), vodka of your choice and garnishes—please don't forget the garnishes. Le Bon Temps Roule, sitting proudly on Magazine Street at Bordeaux (a parade route, I remind you), puts together a jam-packed bloody Mary. Alexis, Bon Temp’s daytime barkeep, has got bloody Marys down to an art. Her accomplice (barback/co-worker) told me, "It's snazzy with accoutrements." Whoa. Alexis uses Finlandia vodka for its smooth and delicate flavor, pours over-top a big splash of Zing-Zang bloody Mary mixer, hits it with a few shakes of Tabasco and Lea & Perrins, then it's all about the culinary decor: a cucumber wheel dusted with Tony's, pickled okra, pickled beans, a long pick alternating grape tomatoes and pimento-stuffed green olives, and a celery spear. A squeeze of lemon, a squeeze of lime, and if you ask real nice, a Guinness float. As far as we're concerned, the best part of a bloody Mary is that it accomplishes two things at once: a meal and a drink.