In thinking about this week’s cover story on offseason escapes, and realizing my travels will take me no farther than my home in Aspen or the possible weekend jaunt to Target in Glenwood Springs, I had no choice but to sample bloody marys at watering holes near and far. In doing so, I came to a few conclusions. First, offseason is the season for drinking bloody marys, as lazy Sundays are perfect for day drinking and high season rarely allows for lazy Sundays. Second, all bloody marys are not created equal; I like mine spicy and filled to the brim with what equates to a full salad of veggies. And last, but not least, there is something very cool about mixing your own bloody (can some local establishment please bring back the weekend bloody mary bar?). With that in mind — and after realizing I cannot afford to drink bloody marys at bars all offseason — I’m going to stock my fridge with all the fixings to make my own Sunday morning eye-opener. On my shopping list: tomato juice (the jury is still out on which one), olives, pickles, celery, okra, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, assorted hot sauces, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay seasoning, bacon, shrimp, horseradish (I’m going to attempt to make my own after stumbling upon the recipe featured here) … the list goes on and on. And, of course, I’m open to ideas. Email me at jmcgovern@aspentimes.com.

LIBATIONS WAS CREATED BY BELOVED ASPEN TIMES PUBLISHER GUNILLA ASHER, WHO DIED JUNE 2, 2014, AFTER A BRAVE BATTLE WITH CANCER. CHEERS — TO GUNNER!