In 1988, my mom was working her way through the College of Charleston while studying to become a teacher. She was also tending bar, learning what people actually liked to drink and what bartenders needed from a recipe. She began making her own Bloody Mary mixture for her friends by combining tomato juice and clam juice, then working in seasonings and other ingredients until it tasted right. She wasn't trying to invent a national brand. She was trying to make a better Bloody Mary - savory, balanced and coastal, with plenty of flavor without burying it in heat. Turns out, her recipe was an instant hit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Since those days in the bar, her friends have begged her for the recipe, but thankfully for me, she kept it a secret.

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In late 2019, I was a cadet at The Citadel in the middle of football season and did not get much time away from the uniform. After one rare night out with my buddies, I called my mom, and she gave me advice I have never forgotten: “The best way to detox is to re-tox. Drink a Bloody Mary.”

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There was one problem: I hated tomatoes. She told me that her recipe was different and walked me through the steps of making the drink. I made one, then another, and then another. Four Bloody Marys later, I was back. More importantly, I finally understood why people had been asking her to make that drink since 1988.

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The Covid-19 quarantine happened, and I started thinking seriously about building a company. One day at my parent’s house, my mom set one of her Bloody Marys in front of me - her original recipe, made the right way. I took it as a sign. With her permission, I took the family recipe, built a logo, sold my truck, and put everything I had into turning it into Glasson’s Bloody Mary Mix.

 

What we make today stays true to that beginning. Glasson’s is a small-batch Lowcountry recipe built on a balanced tomato base, high-quality clam juice, lemon and lime, Worcestershire sauce, and our family blend of spices. The clam juice adds the salty depth that makes the mix taste like the coast, the citrus keeps it bright, the Worcestershire adds richness, and the spices give it character without turning every glass into a dare.

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Glasson’s is now served and sold in restaurants and retailers throughout the Lowcountry, but the point has never been to separate it from the family story. This company exists because of my mom. The recipe began with her hard work in 1988, and the business began because she trusted me to carry it forward.

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That is Glasson’s. A family recipe, Lowcountry inspired flavor, and a story that is still being written ... one glass at a time.