I’ve got a soft spot for supporting the little guy, the local guy. I’m that girl who stands in the grocery store aisle, with seemingly nowhere better to be, turning every jar of pickles around until she finds the one that says Colorado Proud. So when I recently hit Vitamin Cottage for Bloody Mary mix I was thrilled to discover Motherlode Provisions.

Using a recipe first crafted in their home kitchen, Carolyn and Leland Oxley have been bottling the thick tomato-based mix for three years. The recipe has layers of heat but the black pepper, crushed red pepper, jalapeño, and cayenne are balanced with carrot juice and, of all things, molasses. These natural sweeteners create a welcome complexity and, even better, a depth that demands booze.

The Oxleys drink the brunch tipple with two parts mix and one part Breckenridge Distillery vodka, garnished with a thick-cut piece of applewood smoked bacon for him and a spicy pickled green bean for her. I take mine with tequila (which makes it a Bloody Maria) and house-pickled tomatillos. However you mix yours, look for Motherlode Provisions Rocky Mountain Style Bloody Mary Mix at the company’s retail shop on Main Street in Breckenridge or at Whole Foods Market, Lucky’s Market, or Argonaut Wine & Liquor.

Follow Stacey Brugeman on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @denveromnivore.

—Image courtesy of Motherlode Provisions