While South Carolina manages to have some days over 80 degrees in early March, it still tends to get a bit chilly at night. So we thought we’d try this supposed cold-weather gem.
Hot Buttered Tomato Juice
1 (46-oz.) can tomato juice
1-1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. oregano leaves
1/4 c. Land O Lakes Sweet Cream ButterIn 3-quart saucepan, combine all ingredients. Cook over med. heat, stirring occasionally, till heated through; about 15 min. Serve piping hot.
Yield: 8 (6-oz.) servings.
I have to confess that I had never drunk tomato juice before I tried this (at least not that I can remember, although my mother might have fed it to me when I was a preschooler). I have a vivid memory from third grade of another student describing each of the vegetable flavors in turn that he encountered with a sip from his can of V8. The whole notion of vegetable juices has tended to turn my stomach ever since. (Celery flavor? Yech!)
However, I know that many people do drink and enjoy tomato-based juices on a regular basis. The same cannot be said of, jellied frankfurters in aspic, and I survived that. So I was willing to give this a try.
The ingredients were extremely simple.
Added to the pot, the Worcestershire, butter, and oregano gave it a beautiful minimalist modern art aesthetic.
Then, when it was really piping hot, I ladled some out and had a sip. The butter gave the surface of the drink a nice red-gold sheen.
It wasn’t bad. It was certainly hot, which was a pick-me-up on a somewhat chilly winter evening. The tomato flavor was strong but not overpowering, and I think the Worcestershire sauce helped to moderate the heavy vegetable nature quite a bit.
I drank the whole cup (although some members of the household were less keen). And this may have cured my ancient distaste for tomato juice, which I found to be rich and not overly acidic. However, I don’t see myself making this particular concoction again. I guess if you’re really cold, almost anything warm and nutritive can be viewed as a treat. Some people drink bullion from heavy mugs after they come in from the snow, but that’s not really for me either.
Recipe discovered via the delightfully odd Kitchen Retro blog
Retro Recipe Attempts 
You are so brave. I wouldn’t have tried this in a million years.
By: Bonnie on March 21, 2011
at 6:52 pm
Buzz a lot more a fan of it than me, I thought it was pretty bleah. (But then, I think the same thing about tomato juice.)
What amuses me most is that a butter company thought this was a great recipe to feature their ingredient!
By: retrochef on March 21, 2011
at 7:28 pm
How is it different from tomato soup? That’s more or less what it seems like, but maybe a little thinner…and sipped from a glass instead of eaten with a spoon from a bowl. Am I missing something? :p
By: Rosemary on March 22, 2011
at 12:23 am
Maybe it was just like tomato soup. I used to love plain tomato soup at school when I was a kid, but it’s been decades since I’ve eaten it. So maybe that was really all I really made.
By: Buzz on March 31, 2011
at 11:41 pm
But “hot buttered tomato juice” *sounds* so much more exotic. I’d stick with that name, even if it really is essentially tomato soup. :^)
By: Rosemary on April 5, 2011
at 1:11 am
I make mine diffrent from theirs, I use by leaves and add V-8 juice,serve in punch cup with thin slice of lemon on the bottom and a tiny bit of chopped parsley. When you pour in the juice the lemon will flot to the top.
By: Jackie on November 13, 2016
at 7:49 pm
a pinch of sugar?
By: Catanea on April 12, 2017
at 9:10 am