This chilled Bloody Mary soup is perfect for hot summer days when you want something refreshing but still comforting.
I decided to combine two favorites—Bloody Marys and tomato soup—and the result is a bright, savory chilled soup that tastes like a cocktail in a bowl. It’s bold, adaptable, and surprisingly simple to make.
For a long time I hesitated between reinventing recipes and sticking to tried-and-true dishes. That caution usually wins: classic recipes are familiar and hard to ruin. But this time the idea of a tomato-based chilled soup kept nagging at me, and I eventually followed it through. What began as a plan to make a chilled tomato soup evolved into making tomato juice and then a Bloody Mary-style soup from scratch.
Yes, variations of Bloody Mary soups exist, but this version is my take: fresh tomatoes blended and strained, a splash of vodka, savory seasonings, and room for creative garnishes. It works well as a shooter or as a composed soup course. You can tailor the heat, brininess, and texture to suit your guests.
This chilled Bloody Mary soup is versatile. Serve it in small shooter glasses for an elegant appetizer or in bowls for a soup course. Garnish creatively: rim the glasses with smoked or bacon salt, add a dash of hot sauce, a celery stalk, crispy bacon, paprika-coated croutons, or a touch of creamy horseradish. If you like, finish a serving with a splash of vodka that hasn’t been cooked off for an extra kick.
Below is the recipe, with clear instructions and suggested garnishes so you can make it your own.
Bloody Mary Chilled Soup
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Ingredients
- 10 oz cherry tomatoes halved
- 10 oz grape tomatoes halved
- 2 medium tomatoes chopped into large pieces
- 2 shallots roughly chopped
- ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes
- ½ cup vodka
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon celery salt
Garnish
- hot sauce
- creamy horseradish
- celery
- diced olives
Instructions
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Combine the cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, medium tomatoes, and shallots in a blender. Puree until smooth.
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Pour the puree through a fine-mesh strainer into a soup pot, pressing with the back of a spoon to separate the seeds and skins.
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Measure the vodka and vegetable broth. Pour some into the blender to rinse any remaining puree, then strain that liquid into the pot. Repeat until the blender is clean of solids.
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Stir the tomato mixture, bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, and cook for about 5 minutes to marry the flavors.
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Remove from heat and season with black pepper, kosher salt, Worcestershire sauce, and celery salt. Let cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
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Before serving, add an optional ice cube to each bowl or shooter to keep the soup icy cold. Garnish with a dash of hot sauce, a smear of creamy horseradish, a celery stalk, diced olives, or any other preferred toppings.