Courtesy of Todd Brutcher/Southside Alchemy
Last week, Southside Alchemy released the first batch of founder Todd Brutcher's Sweat & Tears Bloody Mary Mix.
Brutcher, who tends bar at Layla in Webster Groves, describes the mix as simple, flavorful, and, most importantly, thick. “A Bloody Mary, in my mind, is a meal in and of itself,” he says. “My Bloody Mary looks almost like a sauce. I figure chances are if you're drinking one, you're probably hungover. You're going to sip it, not slam it.”
The low-sodium base is made with tomato sauce, white and black pepper, with the heat coming from red pepper flakes—no hot sauce or horseradish. Preparation is easy, Brutcher says: Just add ice, vodka, and lime juice. Each 32-ounce bottle yields up to eight drinks and retails for $15.
Brutcher has been making his own Bloody Mary for a decade. “I was working at Onesto, and we were selling Zing Zang Bloody Marys,” he says. “I told my boss that I could make a better Bloody Mary mix for less money.”
Soon, Onesto was using Brutcher’s mix in its Bloody Marys, and customers were asking for the recipe. “I would just make it for them," Brutcher says. "If they had a party, I would just give it to them. I didn't really think about making money off it."
He decided to get serious about his venture, Southside Alchemy, late last year. He also offers a sangria mix at $20 per bottle. While selling his mixes at a local farmers' market, Brutcher was approached by a city official who quizzed him about whether his business was properly registered. “I didn't know I had to do all this stuff,” Brutcher says. “He was very nice, but he's like, ‘Here’s what you need to do to continue doing this,’ and he hands me a laundry list of things to do.”
Courtesy of Todd Brutcher/Southside Alchemy
The next day, while moving a keg of beer, Brutcher injured his knee. “I was just thinking, ‘I'm almost 40. I love bartending, but do I want to do this when I'm 60?’" he recalls. "I'm not a religious guy, but it was like the universe saying, ‘This is what you need to go do.'”
He filed for the necessary licenses, found a manufacturing and bottling partner, and got down to business.
Courtesy of Todd Brutcher/Southside Alchemy
Sweat & Tears is currently available at Intoxicology and LeGrand’s Market, as well as via Southside Alchemy’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. Brutcher is in talks with a number of venues about getting Sweat & Tears on bar shelves as well. (Layla is already using the mix in its Bloody Marys, and he hopes to add more partners soon.)
And expect to see Brutcher at markets across town this spring and summer, starting with Mayfest at Kirkwood Station Plaza on May 11, and Tower Grove Farmers’ Market on May 18.
For more information and online orders, contact Brutcher at trbutcher@gmail.com, via Instagram, or via Facebook.
