TOMATO JUICE REINVENTED Beyond the Bloody Mary

The Bloody Mary has history.

There are all sorts of stories dating back 100 years ago to the 1920’s about its origins which you can read about here. Frequently referred to as ‘hair of the dog’, it was a popular cure for a hangover.

Enter Martin.

Martin Raubenheimer has always loved tomato juice, particularly as it features in the Bloody Mary.  However, much as he loved tomato juice, he always knew it could be better. He had a vision of how extraordinary a tomato juice-based drink could be and spent many happy hours experimenting with blenders and presses in his garage. (What is it about successful businesses starting in garages?) He deconstructed the Bloody Mary into its components: the celery swizzle stick, the vodka, Worchester sauce, hot chilli pepper, salt, lemon and lime juices, olive brine, herbs and then reconstructed them using vegan-friendly, all natural, truly tasty ingredients without preservatives, additives, colourants, added sugar or flavourants.

MARTY'S GENIUS (& HEALTHY) RECIPE

And then Martin cracked the genius recipe, creating a light, refreshing, spicy-umami-savoury drink with a hint of natural sweetness that tastes like the best kind of Bloody Mary; a drink that tastes good all on its own.  Made with real tomato juice, apple cider vinegar (with the mother), apple juice and a secret combination of spices including mustard and of course salt.

Martin’s vision became reality: Marty’s Spiced Tomato Juice and its bolder, spicier sibling Marty’s Virgin Bloody Mary came into the world. The business was co-founded with Martin’s sister, Paula, and together they run the company which has two bases in South Africa and the UK.

What makes Marty’s unique is its inclusion of unfiltered apple cider vinegar, renowned for its gut health benefits. Low in carbs and fats, tomato juice contains generous amounts of vitamin A (important for eye health) and high levels of vitamin C which stimulates the production of collagen, thereby contributing to skin health. In addition, tomatoes are rich in lycopene, providing an excellent source of antioxidants which promote good health.

Since launching, Marty’s tomato juices have garnered multiple awards including Great Taste 2023, Double Gold at the International Aurora Taste Challenge.  In 2024 Marty’s took home a silver at the World Alcohol Free Awards as well as being named as a Nourish Award finalist.  

Marty’s tomato juices taste amazing with alcohol of your choice. They are also delicious standalone drinks suitable for vegans (Marty’s juices carry internationally recognised vegan certification) and alcohol-free consumers.

The Bloody Mary now has a shining future.

MARTY’S & ORYX DESERT SALT COLLABORATION

When Samantha Skyring (founder of Oryx Desert Salt) gave a talk in The Hague, Netherlands for the Lionesses of Africa, she invited Martin to accompany her as he happened to be in the Netherlands at the time. Several meetings later, they realised there was great synergy between the 2 companies.

Like Oryx Desert Salt, Marty’s wants to contribute socially by being more than just a brand.  Both companies share the same values with regard to sustainability and sourcing local ingredients, labour and packaging.

Marty’s uses a farm-based, community-support Trust in South Africa (an initiative that employs over 2000 people) to bottle their products and they subscribe to 10 of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development goals.  Marty’s also participates in Crew for a Cause, a project which helps motivated scholars acquire the education they seek.

And of course, when it comes to adding flavourful salt to their drinks, it is a natural choice to use Oryx Desert Salt.

WHAT’S NEW IN THE MIX?

Yes, there’s a new, very exciting flavour on the way but Marty’s is asking us to keep quiet about it for now. All we’ll whisper in your ear is to keep an eye out for their next palate zinger.

Can Marty’s still be considered a cure for a hangover? Sure it can! Just add vodka.  However, let’s just say it tastes so good on its own, (or try these delicious recipes) it’s spicy enough to give you a rev without alcohol.  Hangovers are optional.  

Oryx Desert Salt is proud to be in every bottle of Marty’s.

You can find Marty’s tomato drinks on sale in South Africa here.