Tomato Juice
Tomato juice is crushed, sieved tomatoes, usually sold pasteurised in cartons with salt added: Princes and Sainsbury's list about 0.4 to 0.6g of salt per 100ml. It carries no alcohol and little sugar, and in a Bloody Mary it is the 90ml base that the vodka, lemon and seasonings are built on. We keep an opened carton in the fridge and finish it within two or three days.
Quick Facts
Store unopened at room temperature. Once opened, we keep it in the fridge, resealed tightly. Shake before use to redistribute solids.
None of the 14 listed allergens. Plain tomato juice contains none of the 14. Seasoned mixes can add celery, mustard and barley malt vinegar (Big Tom lists all three): check the bottle.
About Tomato Juice
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Rich and savoury with gentle acidity and natural sweetness. Texture is full-bodied with a smooth, slightly vegetal finish.
Most tomato juice is salted, and some is made from concentrate
Tomato juice is ripe tomatoes crushed, heated and sieved so the pulp stays suspended in the liquid. Many cartons are made up from concentrate and pasteurised, and nearly all the British ones add salt: Princes lists 0.58g per 100ml and Sainsbury's own label 0.43 to 0.5g. Tomatoes pressed at home carry almost none.
That salt counts. The 90ml in a Bloody Mary brings about half a gram of it before the seasonings go in, which is why the celery salt goes in by the pinch and is tasted rather than measured.
Carton, pressed or ready-seasoned
The choice comes down to salt, body and what is already in the bottle.
Tomato juice options for a Bloody Mary
UK carton
- What it is
- Juice or juice from concentrate, pasteurised and salted
- Salt per 100ml
- About 0.4 to 0.6g (Princes 0.58g)
- Body
- Smooth, medium
- In a Bloody Mary
- The usual base; season to taste
Pressed fresh
- What it is
- Ripe tomatoes liquidised and sieved at home
- Salt per 100ml
- Almost none
- Body
- Thinner; separates sooner
- In a Bloody Mary
- Season harder; make it the same day
Ready-seasoned mix
- What it is
- Juice with spice, Worcestershire and vinegar already in
- Salt per 100ml
- About 0.7g (Big Tom 0.69g)
- Body
- Thick
- In a Bloody Mary
- Leave out the separate seasonings; check for celery, mustard and barley
| Type | What it is | Salt per 100ml | Body | In a Bloody Mary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK carton | Juice or juice from concentrate, pasteurised and salted | About 0.4 to 0.6g (Princes 0.58g) | Smooth, medium | The usual base; season to taste |
| Pressed fresh | Ripe tomatoes liquidised and sieved at home | Almost none | Thinner; separates sooner | Season harder; make it the same day |
| Ready-seasoned mix | Juice with spice, Worcestershire and vinegar already in | About 0.7g (Big Tom 0.69g) | Thick | Leave out the separate seasonings; check for celery, mustard and barley |
Season it like food, then stir
In our Bloody Mary the juice carries the seasonings, Worcestershire sauce first, then the Tabasco, pepper and celery salt, with 15ml of lemon for acid. Everything is stirred together before the ice, tasted, and only then does the ice go in for a second, gentle stir.
Shaking is the usual mistake: the pulp traps air, so the drink pours pale and foamy and later splits. A gentle stir leaves it dark and dense.
Cold, shaken in the carton, used within days
Keep the carton in the fridge before opening as well as after: cold juice melts less ice and the drink stays stronger. Shake it before every pour, since the solids settle. Once a carton is opened, we use it within two or three days, and smell it first, because fizz or a sour note means it has begun to ferment.
Without the vodka, the same seasoned juice makes an alcohol-free drink that deserves the same care with the salt and the stir.
Using Tomato Juice
Usage
Ninety millilitres in our Bloody Mary, half the drink, stirred with ice rather than shaken so it stays dark and dense. Chill the carton first, shake it before pouring because the pulp settles, and taste the juice on its own: its salt decides how much celery salt the drink can take.
Pro Tip
Taste the juice cold and unseasoned before you build. If it already tastes salty, hold back the celery salt; if it tastes flat and sweet, the lemon and Tabasco have more work to do.
Top Tips
- Shake the carton before you pour. The pulp sinks, and the last glass is thicker than the first.
- Read the salt figure on the carton. A juice at 0.6g per 100ml wants a lighter hand with the celery salt.
- Stir, never shake. Shaking whips air into the pulp and the drink turns pale and foamy.
- Check a ready-seasoned juice for celery and mustard before pouring it for a guest with allergies.
Possible Substitutions
- Cherry Tomato: liquidised and sieved ripe tomatoes: fresher and almost salt-free, but thinner
Production Method
Ripe tomatoes crushed, heated and sieved, or juice made up from concentrate, then pasteurised. UK cartons usually add salt.
More to explore
Common Questions
Which tomato juice should I use for a Bloody Mary?
Is tomato juice high in salt?
Can I use fresh tomatoes instead of carton juice?
Should you shake or stir a Bloody Mary?
How long does tomato juice last once opened?
Does tomato juice contain celery or other allergens?
Can you make a Bloody Mary without vodka?
Sources.
Correct as of 17 October 2026.
- legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II (as retained in UK law)”.
Made with Tomato Juice
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Updated 17 October 2026