Bloody Mary with Candied Maple Bacon & Tajin

• Makes 1 cocktail (plus extra candied maple bacon for more drinks)

Candied Maple Bacon

• 1 pound smoked bacon
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• ¼ teaspoon Tajin

Zest of 1 lime

• Per Mocktail (or cocktail – if that’s your jam, adjust recipe accordingly)
• 4 ounces tomato juice
• ½-ounce (15 ml) lemon juice
• ½-ounce (15 ml) lime juice
• 2 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 dashes hot sauce

Pinch of black pepper

• ¼ teaspoon Tajin, plus more to rim the glass
• 2 stuffed green olives
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 piece candied maple bacon

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Arrange the bacon on the parchment paper in a single layer. In a bowl, combine maple, Tajin, and lime zest and mix well. Baste the top of each piece of bacon liberally with the maple mixture, coating every nook & cranny. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown. Transfer the cooked bacon to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes (make sure you don’t leave the bacon on the rack for too long – it will stick).
3. Pour some Tajin onto a plate. Rub the juicy side of a lime around the lip of a pint glass. Roll the outside of the glass in the Tajin completely coating the rim of the glass in spice mixture. Fill the glass with ice.
4. In a cocktail mixer full of ice, combine the tomato juice, lemon and lime juice, worcestershire, hot sauce, black pepper, and Tajin. Shake vigorously, then strain into the glass. Garnish with celery, olives, and Maple Tajin Candied Bacon. Serve immediately. Delicious!