It's officially bloody mary season again! Oh, you didn't know there was a season? This just means it's socially acceptable to drink more bloody mary's more frequently and talk about them. During the spring and summer I become a fair weather bm drinker... meaning when I'm at golf scrambles or when I'm thirsty for a bloody. A couple of other things going on this time of year help bring on the thirst, football and hunting. Disclaimer: don't drink them until after the hunt is over..... Disclaimer 2: Go Big Red is starting to mean Go have a Big Red bloody mary... haha Michigan State, remember when Nebraska lost to Purdouche and then beat y'all..?!
On to the review... I really enjoy hunting the Calamus Lake area. The drive isn't always super fun real early in the morning so I thought it would be a great time to get a cheap hotel room and get some sleep before hunting. Calamus Lodge is what I came up with and to be honest... I was nervous. The reviews weren't great and I simply didn't know what to expect. It turned out to be awesome! 5 of us got to the lodge at about 8:45pm and found the bar still open. Hot dang! This hotel had a bar right next to it and it served food, meaning dinner and breakfast. There was one other group of duck hunters eating. Tammy Hruza, the owner of the hotel and bar was very kind and took great care of us. We had some of the best homemade chicken fried steaks and delicious busch lights. The hotel room was solid and got the job done. Our hunt went well, didn't shoot many ducks but it was a gorgeous morning. We quit a bit early because the bar closed at 11am and we wanted to get in there for some more breakfast and some more of Tammy's delightful personality. The food and bloody did not disappoint...!
Appearance: 5/10 Ok, this is a down home bar that isn't about being fancy but simply getting the product out there. I don't care if my bloody mary is in a white styrofoam cup, a chalice or a fancy glass, I just want it to taste good. However, appearance is part of the grading scale so I have to give it a number. There were floaties but I couldn't stare at them, only feel them on my tongue. Average but useful.
Garnishes: 7/10 To the point, delicious, clean, simple. An olive and pickle give my tastebuds a tickle!
Spice/Bang: 8/10 Zing Zang sauces it up just right every.single.time. A litte tabasco and a generous helping of celery salt. Simple but effective. Great chugability! (I did have two of them because I forgot to take a picture of the first one... hehehe)
Desire: 7/10 Would love to go back right now. Of course this would mean another hunting trip but the bar and Tammy were very welcoming and enjoyable! Good food, good drinks, good people, good bloody!
Price: 5/10 Sometimes the best part about small town bars is the small prices! This bloody was $4 which is a bit more than I was expecting but the size was good and Tammy has to make money somehow!
Overall: 32/50 A great bloody mary thanks to the location, the people I was with and Tammy, the owner/waitress/bartender/goodperson. Next time she said she would use Sriracha UV in the drink.... oh boy, I have to go back. Soon!
