The bloody mary community wouldn’t be what it is without bloody mary drinkers. Each Enthusiast Spotlight features one awesome member of this community who you’ll get to know just a little bit more.
This article spotlights Jim Taucher, who caught our attention for starting a weekly Bloody Mary Toast online. Jim is a pastry chef who left the snowy cold winters of Wisconsin for the warm beaches of Florida. Yet, despite the move, he took Wisconsin’s bloody mary tradition with him. Jim regularly posts pictures of his bloody mary creations online, which he enjoys with his best garnish game.
When Jim is not drinking a bloody mary or another tasty cocktail, he works as a cook and pastry chef for a senior living center in Florida. As the coronavirus continues to hammer our communities, Jim works the night shift, making sure that seniors in the facility have food delivered to their rooms.
Jim’s first online bloody mary toast was seen by over a thousand people and had over a 160 people who either commented or shared a picture toasting with their bloody. In a time where we can’t physically see many friends and loved ones because of the pandemic, we raise our glasses to Jim for bringing people together and creating a sense of community online. We caught up with Jim as he was gearing up for the third weekly Bloody Mary Toast.
BME: How did you come up with the idea for an online Bloody Mary Toast?
Well, I was drinking a bloody mary and thought that it would be a good idea.*** I think people miss the type of camaraderie that comes from sitting with friends and drinking a fun drink. I think that during these times, people need something to bring them together and have them forget their problems. People need an escape. So, I thought that having this virtual toast might be fun and bring some joy to people.
BME: Were you surprised to see the response?
Yeah, it was great. You know, I’m not a leader or anything, so I wasn’t really expecting anything – so it was nice to see the response and nice to see that people had fun with it.
BME: What got you into bloody marys in the first place?
In Wisconsin, drinking a bloody mary is a rite of passage. If you are out somewhere on a weekend, you’ll probably be drinking a bloody mary. It’s such a big deal over there, with over the top garnishes and some places even have build-your-own bloody mary bars. So, that’s definitely where I got into it.
BME: And so you’re bringing that Wisconsin style to Florida?
Well, I try to. I had to search a little to find some good Bloodys here in Cape Coral, Florida — but I definitely found some.
BME: And as a chef, I assume your garnish game is strong?
It’s definitely not anywhere near some of the stuff that I see online – but I try my best with the things I have at home. Some of the over-the-top stuff that’s out there is fantastic. Wisconsin level good, you know?
BME: If you had a message for everyone in bloody mary land, what would it be?
Enjoy your bloody mary however you want, stay safe, and we’ll get through this!
Thanks to Jim for his great idea and execution. You can be part of the online Bloody Mary Toast by joining the Bloody Mary Enthusiasts group on Facebook. And you can check out Jim and his baked creations at @jimthebaker on Instagram.
***The BME has no scientific proof that drinking bloody marys will lead to good ideas. But Jim had a good idea while drinking a bloody – and we get all sorts of great ideas while drinking bloody marys! So you know – believe what you want.
Diego Carvajal
Diego Carvajal is new to the bloody mary game. He has been travelling the U.S. for the past year, sampling bloodys along the way. He dislikes people that refer to themselves as “foodies” and likes his bloody with a lot of bacon. New York raised. Hold the horseradish. Follow him at @everyday.diego
