Cheers To The 5th Annual Bloody Mary Festival

Saturday, Nov. 2 “got bloody” on the Emerald Coast — in a delicious way. The Market Shops in Miramar Beach hosted the 5th Annual Bloody Mary Festival raised $25,000 for Habitat for Humanity – Walton County, a record-breaking amount for the festival.

The sold-out event — voted Best Local Event by the readers of Emerald Coast magazine — featured unlimited tastes of the Emerald Coast’s most creative and inventive Bloody Marys made with Cathead Vodka and served by the finest restaurants and bars on the Panhandle.

Guests were greeted upon arrival with festive tomato-themed balloon décor, courtesy of Mingle, before entering the bustling courtyard and grand lawn, each full of restaurants, vendors, and merchants from The Market Shops. Event-goers made their way around the tents sampling Bloody Marys complete with over-the-top accouterments.

Photo by Land, Air & Sea Productions

Upon check-in, guests received a token in order to vote for the coveted People’s Choice Awards for the Best Bloody Mary in South Walton. At the end of the event, votes were counted by Hill Coleman CPA and the following local restaurants were chosen as the winners:

1st Place People’s Choice Award – Rockin Tacos Grill & Tequila Bar

Beefy fajita-style Bloody Mary made with jalapeno-infused Cathead vodka, garnished with a chicken and cheese taco, spicy green bean, pickled jalapeño, fresh lime, and a bonus Rockin Tacos’ La Casa Margarita sidecar.

2nd Place People’s Choice Award – The Surf Hut 

Infused Cathead vodka mixed with tomato juice, Frank’s Red Hot, horseradish, Worcestershire, fresh-squeezed limes and lemons, spicy green bean juice, celery seed, garlic, sea salt and pepper. Garnished with an Old Bay seasoning rim, stuffed olive, spicy green bean, cheddar cheese cube, jalapeño, and a freshly baked, hand-rolled cream cheese crab ball.

3rd Place People’s Choice Award – Jackacuda’s Seafood and Sushi

Signature house-made Bloody Mary with a spiced rim and topped with Jackacuda’s Nola sushi roll, a dynamite shrimp and an Asian zing boneless chicken wing. 

A panel of select food critics and local celebrities also judged each Bloody Mary and selected the following winner as the most delicious and most creative:

Judge’s Choice Award – The Surf Hut

There was plenty of food to go around during the festival provided by various restaurants located directly within The Market Shops, including Ben & Jerrys, Bijoux Restaurant + Spirits, Clean Juice, Hebert’s Specialty Meats, Maple Street Biscuit Company and Pizza by the Sea. Apart from the Bloody Marys, guests sipped on local craft brews served by Grayton Beer Company, specialty cocktails, champagne from the Bubbly Bar as well as non-alcoholic mock-tails.

Photo by Land, Air & Sea Productions

During the event, guests enjoyed a hydration station, a commemorative photo booth, a cigar bar by Shore Thing Cigars, and exclusive shopping opportunities from The Market Shops merchants.

Music by DJ Dad and a live performance from Dread Clampitt on the main stage.

Additional funds were raised through a Benefit Brunch held simultaneously with the festival at Bijoux Restaurant + Spirits, where 10 percent of proceeds benefited Habitat for Humanity – Walton County. Jon Smith Subs also donated 10 percent of their sales from that day to the local nonprofit.