V8 tomato juice can taste so much better when you know what to do with it! Learn how to make V8 taste better with some simple ways to take this tomato juice to the next level.
For decades home bartenders have been turning to V8 for that classic morning-after cocktail, the Bloody Mary, but this juice can be so much more! V8 is an excellent vegetable juice that can be used in many different recipes. This classic veggie juice can trick picky eaters of all ages into consuming their veggies; the trick is knowing how to use it! Learn some fun new ideas for how to make V8 taste better with the help of this guide!
What is V8?
V8 is a brand of vegetable juices. Their trademark is producing juices with a signature blend of eight vegetables. The primary flavor of the V8 original is tomato.
Today many varieties of V8 exist, including fruit and vegetable blends that mix the best flavors of fruit with the best flavors of vegetables. They also make many different ways to buy all of their juices, like convenient on-the-go cans!
How to Store and Consume V8
It is perfectly fine to store an unopened V8 on the pantry shelf. Once opened, a sealed V8 should be refrigerated and used within two weeks of opening.
How to Make V8 Taste Better
Once you know how to use it, V8 can be a real pantry helper! Make V8 taste better with all these great ideas!
Get Gorey!
Bloody Mary is V8’s best friend. A Bloody Mary is a traditional cocktail that uses tomato juice, vodka, and spices to make a drink with some zing. Mix up this classic cocktail with V8!
One great thing about this idea is that the Blood Mary is so easy to make! All you need is V8, a celery stick, Worcestershire sauce, and spices. Mix one shot of vodka with V8 and dashes of the other ingredients to taste. Enjoy this fun V8 twist with brunch!
Make Micheladas
One Mexican cocktail that has grown in popularity is the Michelada. It’s a refreshing and unique drink that will keep you sipping! Use V8 to craft some delicious Micheladas at the next party! Combine v8, beer, Worcestershire sauce, and some lime for a tasty treat. Don’t forget to put a little spicy-lime salt on the rim to make the perfect V8 Michelada! Try this tasty V8 twist with seafood or tacos for a delicious and authentic Mexican meal.
Sip Smoothies
One great thing about V8 is that you get your daily allotment of veggies without even realizing it because this juice is so rich and flavorful. Play on this idea by adding V8 to your fruit smoothies. It adds sweetness and complexity to a plain fruit smoothie and helps sneak the veggies in!
Make a secretly green smoothie with strawberries, pineapples, peaches, and mango. Add some applesauce for texture, then throw in the ice. Pour V8 into the blender until about half of the ingredients are submerged, and then blend. Add more V8 or ice as needed, and enjoy!
Add to Tomato Sauce
It may sound redundant to add tomato juice to tomato sauce, but it helps! A little V8 in your tomato sauce adds a complexity of flavor and helps to thin out extra thick sauce while still adding extra flavor. Here’s a basic tomato sauce that can be used on pizzas or pasta:
Over medium heat, sweat onions for about 5 minutes. Deglaze with ¼ cup to ½ cup red wine. Add 1 can whole tomatoes, 1 can tomato sauce, a few teaspoons of sugar, and ½ cup V8; toss in any seasonings you like in a tomato sauce, i.e., oregano, garlic, celery; allow the sauce to simmer for at least 30 minutes. Taste your sauce often and adjust the seasonings accordingly. You can also add some extra V8 if the sauce is too thick. Allow the finished sauce to cool slightly before running it through a blender to create a velvety smooth final texture.
Make a Marinade
Why not take the delicious flavor of a classic V8 cocktail, like the Bloody Mary or Michelada, and turn it into a marinade!? The deliciously rich and varied flavors of V8 help to bring out the best in meats and other veggies, plus marinating adds moisture that keeps meats nice and juicy while cooking. Use V8 to mix up a fun and delicious marinade!
Try making your favorite V8 Bloody Mary, but leave out the vodka. Pour the mixture into a Tupperware, then add your desired meat. Chicken and thin steaks work really well with this mixture, but you can even try this marinade with veggies like zucchini and squash. Allow the marinade to soak for at least 1 hour or as long as overnight. Remove the food from the marinade and cook!
FAQs
What are the Eight Vegetables in V8?
The “8” in V8 is for their blend of eight veggies. Some of those flavors are very obvious, like the tomato, while others are less clear. Here is their sacred eight:
- Tomato
- Watercress
- Parsley
- Spinach
- Carrots
- Beets
- Lettuce
- Celery
All together, these add up to perfectly balanced vegetable juice!
How Often Can I Drink V8?
V8 is full of vegetable nutrition and is a nice choice when compared to soda pop, but it should still be consumed in moderation. V8 has a lot of salt, and consuming too much sodium regularly can be very unhealthy. Balance your enjoyment of V8 with other veggies and a healthy lifestyle, and always remember to read the nutrition label!
Final Thoughts
People have been drinking V8 for decades because of its balanced tomatoey flavor, but it can be so much more than a humble vegetable juice in the right hands! Explore all the different ways you can use this classic juice. Surely getting your daily 8 has never been so fun! Try new things and mix it up on the way to make V8 taste better!
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