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Episode 8 of My Big Fat Bloody Mary Podcast

Featuring:

• An interview with Bruce Julian and his crew
• Lynn sings her best song yet
• Lynn tackles a tough question or two
• New Segment: Obscure Profanity!
• New Contest- Win a beautiful bartender’s kit gift box
• Our rating of Bruce Julian Bloody Mary Mix

Want to win a bartender’s bloody Mary kit gift box from Bruce Julian?

Rate and review us on iTunes and let us know you did- you’ll be entered!

 

Here’s a transcript of the initial interview with Bruce Julian:
Tell us about the place you make your mix:

We use a co-packer/bottler in North Carolina. It took us about 4 months to work out the kinks. We had three spectacular failures (bottled product) before we felt we had it right. Now, they do their best to jump through the hoops we constantly put in front of them. They must be drinking our stuff…

How long have you sold your mix?

Bruce has been serving his mix in his men’s clothing store (he has a pub bar in the store that he imported from England) for about 25 years, selling it for 10. Bonnie and Paul started the food and beverage business in 2014 to commercialize it.

Tell us about how it started
Bruce loves music, fun, friends, toys, life. So, naturally he would find his way to JazzFest in New Orleans. And, occasionally, found himself in need of the cure. He loves a good Bloody Mary, and so he began his quest to create the best one he could. After years of field research (many many visits to many many bars), conversations with bartenders, trips around the world with Bonnie discovering interesting ingredients, he finally did it – created the perfect Bloody Mary. Bruce started serving it in his store and his friends and customers started to ask for a gallon to take to the beach, or a jar for friends, and other occasions. So Bonnie and Bruce started home canning the mix in Mason Jars that Bruce sold at his store. Some of Bruce’s friends in the men’s wear business started selling it in their store as well. Pretty soon, the home canning volume and frequency got Bonnie thinking, hmmm, we might have something here. So in early 2014, Paul and Bonnie, who worked together in the textiles business in NY, started their company. Now, we have 25 products carried in over 450 stores in 15 states and we export to Canada.

What makes your mix unique?
It’s an all natural blend of 4 juices, about 1/4 the sodium of others, sweetened naturally with Agave nectar, mango, and orange juice. It’s sweet, savory, balanced, and easy to drink.

What’s the WORST bloody Mary you ever had and why was it the worst?
The Bloody Mary’s in Europe (pick any country). They are universally awful. Basically just tomato juice and vodka. If you’re lucky they might give you a lemon wedge or a bottle of Worcestershire Sauce.

How can people find you? (website social, etc)
www.BruceJulianHeritageFoods.com
www.facebook.com/thebestbloodymarymix
brucejulians on instagram

Is there a song that you’d like to hear Lynn Miller sing? (she’s on our panel and can’t sing)
Bloody Mary Morning by Willie Nelson. Here’s a truly awful version: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/obycejna-streka-bloody-mary/id454256763?i=454256777
Surely Lynn can do better!