Sportsman
The Sportsman or often referred to as “Sporty’s” is one of the few establishments that have lasted a long time in SB. Established in 1984, although it seems longer. It’s a friendly dive with a good jukebox, and although I was never 86’d, I know someone who can make that claim to fame. The only oddity I saw in many visits was the way one bartender made a Bloody Mary. I’ve had some tasty ones over time, although I’d never ordered one from her, and thank God I hadn’t ordered this one. There are numerous recipes and most have an ingredient or two added so that it can be named accordingly; Cajun Bloody Mary, Bite Your Mama Bloody Mary, etc., but most keep the Worcestershire sauce at a dash or two. The Algonquin Bloody Mary (possibly named after the Algonquin River in Illinois) calls out for 1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire. Maybe that river runs brown and the amount of Worcestershire added matches closely in color. This drink ran quite brown as she completely disregarded the idea of a ‘dash’, bypassed the ‘tsp’ and just poured in the Worcestershire from the bottle. I’ve found a Wasabi Bloody Mary recipe that calls out for 3 tablespoons of Worcestershire — I think she had even passed that amount. I didn’t get to see who ordered this and missed out seeing the reaction to how it tasted. My recommendation — get your Bloody Mary’s from the Mesa Cafe or if in the valley – they make ’em great at Maverick’s Saloon.
