Bloody Mary Tour, pt. 2
Sleek | Slender | Smoky: Review of TAG Burger Bar’s Bloody Mary
By Jessica Funkin
Hip, vibrant, and the warm air of the Colorado autumn time… Who doesn’t want these things to compliment their Bloody Mary? If you do, TAG Burger Bar might be the perfect place to go. Located on Madison Street in Denver, TAG reminds me of an open-air garage (way nicer, that is) with graffiti on the wall and wooden accents. There is also an outdoor dining area for when the weather is nice.
I went to TAG recently with my friend, as he lives down the street. It was Sunday brunch time, so I unfortunately did not try a burger (I always lean toward the “breakfast side” of brunch), but I did have myself a mean Bloody!
For my brunch meal, I ordered the Cowboy Benedict (BBQ brisket, caramelized onions, Tabasco hollandaise) with potatoes. I ordered the potatoes well-done– and little did I know they were skinny shoestring potatoes. Anyways, the meal didn’t turn out all that great. The potatoes were like the shoestring chip sorts of things that my grandma used to buy in a container and the rest of the meal was cold and mild in flavor. That being said, I want to try a burger next time around. But, I am here to talk about Bloody Marys. And TAG’s is real damn good. You can read about TAG Burger Bar’s Bloody Mary below.
AT A GLANCE: 16/20
TAG Burger Bar’s Bloody Mary looked sleek and slender when served to me. It honestly looked a bit tiny for the somewhat high price tag of $8. Served in a tall, skinny glass, the Bloody Mary was garnished with a lime, olive, and bacon, which was sufficient (as there was bacon involved). It was very clean and your classic Bloody-red. Many spices could be seen throughout the drink, in rather large chunks. ‘Specially pepper. While I admit I wished the Bloody was bigger when it first arrived at the table, as you will see in the next categories, it was well worth the price.
GARNISH: 16/20
As mentioned in the previous category, the Bloody was garnished with a nice strip of bacon cooked to tender perfection, along with a lime and olive. I didn’t notice the olive until I sifted the lime out of the drink, so appearance-wise, there could be improvement. The garnish tasted good, though it was not the most creative. There was bacon so… points for bacon!
SPICE: 20/20
The spices in TAG’s Bloody Mary were pretty exceptional. There were hints of smokiness to the flavor… It rang of chipotle peppers or something of the likes. I mentioned in the “At A Glance” category that the Bloody was a little pricy for the size, but HOLY WOW! The flavor profile really makes up for the size. There was just the perfect amount of spices and the smokiness was a really great surprise.
TEXTURE AND ACIDITY: 20/20
The texture of TAG’s Bloody was perfecto. It was really refreshing and light. And can I get a thumbs up for no acidity and no heartburn! Boom baby. If only every place could perfect the spicy Bloody Mary sans waves of heartburn.
UNIQUENESS: 17/20
The smoky flavor to TAG’s Bloody was very unique to me. I have bought a smoky chipotle Bloody Mary mix before, but can’t say I’ve tasted the flavor in many restaurants. TAG’s Bllody is OG, for sure.
FINAL SCORE: 89/100
If you want a sleek | slender | smoky Bloody Mary, hit up TAG Burger Bar, located at 1222 Madison Street, Denver, CO, 80206