Bloody Mary with Bacon

For the Bacon

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Separate the slices of bacon and wrap each tightly around a long bamboo skewer to make a long twist (to keep the bacon from unraveling, skewer each end as you wrap). Set the bacon-wrapped skewers on the baking sheet. 
3. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, paprika, black pepper and cayenne. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the bacon twists. 
4. Bake the bacon until well browned and crisp, about 15 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel–lined plate to drain. To serve, gently pull out the skewers and discard. Serve the bacon twists as they are or in a bloody mary.

For the Bloody Mary

1. In a large pitcher, stir together the tomato juice, lemon juice, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. 
2. Juice the onion half as you would an orange. Add the onion juice and salt to the pitcher. 
3. Refrigerate until very cold. 
4. Just before serving, stir in the vodka and pour into ice-filled glasses. Garnish each glass with a selection of pickled vegetables and a Spicy Bacon Swizzle Stick.