Making a Bloody Mary at home is a breeze with SuckerPunch Gourmet mixes.

When David van Alphen launched his pickle-making business in Illinois in 2011, he wanted to give it a name that would convey the wallop of flavor he hoped to seal inside every jar.

Hence, SuckerPunch Gourmet was born.

Today, it makes not only pickles, but salsas and Bloody Mary mixes. I had a chance to try samples recently.

The Spicy Garlic Originals ($5.99 for a 24-ounce jar) is indeed the product that launched the company. Cut into thick slices, these are plenty garlicky, flavored with 15 spices including cloves and black peppercorns, and get a warm kick from arbol chiles. They are perfect tucked into a pastrami sandwich.

The Spicy Bread N’ Butter ($5.99 for a 24-ounce jar) are cut into thinner rounds. They have puckery tang, as well as a fair amount of sweetness. They also have a peppery backnote as well as moderate spiciness. These are made for backyard burgers on the grill.

Spicy Bread & Butter pickles on the left; Spicy Garlic Originals on the right.

The two bottled Bloody Mary mixes ($5.99 for 32 ounces) actually incorporate some Spicy Garlic Original pickles along with tomato juice, distilled vinegar, cucumber, garlic powder and salt. The regular Bloody Mary Mix is just a bit spicy, while the Spicy Bloody Mary Mix turns up the heat with a bit of Ghost Pepper chili. Don’t be afraid, though. It’s about medium on the heat barometer.

With both, you just combine four parts of the mix with one part vodka for a Bloody Mary that’s a bit like a spicy gazpacho in flavor.

In fact, if you don’t want to use all of the mix for an alcoholic concoction, the mix also makes for an easy gazpacho base. Just add some diced cucumber, red onion, and fresh tomatoes for a cold summer soup.

I even tried it in a favorite pasta recipe. Chefs Lissa Doumani and Hiro Sone of Terra Restaurant in St. Helena came up with a delectable and super easy dish that combines V8 and good-quality, oil-packed tuna for a fabulous spaghettini topper. I swapped out the V8 for SuckerPunch’s Bloody Mary mix instead, and it was incredible.

SuckerPunch Gourmet salsa.

SuckerPunch also makes Green Tomato Salsa ($4.99 for a 16-ounce jar) in medium and hot versions. I would say the medium is pretty tame in heat, and the hot more like a medium. These salsas may not be to everyone’s liking, though. They are like a runny version of pickle relish with noticeable sweetness and vinegar flavor — not characteristics you are expecting in a salsa. If I’m craving salsa, especially to dunk chips into, I don’t think I would reach for these.

SuckerPunch products are available in California at Sprouts, Safeway, New Leaf Community Markets, Walmart, and Marshalls.

Winner of the Food Gal Contest

In last week’s contest, I asked you to tell me what you most love about Portland. The best answer will win a copy of the new cookbook, “Portland Cooks” (Figure 1) by Danielle Centoni.

Congrats to:

Ben@Focus:Snap:Eat, who wrote, “So funny, I was just dreaming about lemon curd recently since it’s been awhile since I’ve made it. And I am a lemon lover like you! I love these city cookbooks because it makes me feel like I can try all these restaurants one day. I love Portland, and my reason why can be summed up in three words: “No sales tax!” LOL.”