Gage & Tollner has been on my list for quite some time. When I first started this Bloody Mary journey in NYC, I was told that Gage and Tollner has one of the best bloodies in the city. But for some reason, it took me quite some time to make it here. But I finally did! And I’m definitely glad I did.

The aesthetic of this place is really fun. It’s an historic building and it really holds onto that vibe. The lighting, mirrors, seating and bar really put you into a specific era of New York. The service was wonderful and the food was great. I would highly recommend checking this place out if you’re nearby. But let’s get to the point of this post: how was their bloody? Was it really the best?

Key Takeaways

Upon first looks, you can see that the garnish on this Bloody Mary is far better than what you get in other spots. On top of this drink, they have a pickled cauliflower floret, a pickle slice, pickled radish and a celery stick. The cauliflower did taste a little old unfortunately. The pickled radish though – that was really nice. I definitely thought it was a chunk of cheese when I first got it, but was pleasantly surprised that it was radish!

Flavorwise, this drink is very smooth with a nice kick to it. It’s very balanced, but has a definite black pepper flavor. The pepper does not overwhelm the drink though. It has a very smooth texture as well but there are whole peppercorns in there that would sometimes get stuck in the straw. But it wasn’t an insane amount.

This drink cost me $18. This is definitely on the steeper side of Bloody Marys, but it does align with the cost of their other cocktails. I would like to see this one a little lower though because a standard bloody shouldn’t be nearly $20 IMO.

My rating: 8

Garnish – 8
Originality – 9
Spice/Flavor – 8
Presentation – 8
Texture – 9
Value – 6

I’m a big fan of this bloody. It did live up to the hype, which rarely happens to me when it comes to bloodies. I would definitely go out of my way for this bloody and recommend you check it out if you’re nearby.