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Homemade Clamato Juice. This fresh, tangy drink is made with a tomato juice base and loaded up with savory flavors. This mixer is perfect for using in drink cocktails, shrimp cocktails, and ceviche.
This homemade version of Clamato juice gives you all the flavors that you want in this mixer, with none of the ingredients that you want to avoid!
What is Clamato Juice?
Just as the name suggests it’s a combination of tomato and clam juices. The addition of hot sauce, lemon juice, black pepper and Worcestershire sauce gives it a hearty, spicy taste. It can be served as a drink on it’s own, but more commonly it is used in cocktails. It’s also used in the preparation of Mexican style shrimp cocktails and ceviche.
Ingredients Needed:
- Tomato Juice: this can either be a store bought tomato juice, look for one is pure tomato juice, no other ingredients. Or you can make your own tomato juice by blending up canned or fresh tomatoes. Add water as needed too thin.
- Clam Juice: this can be found in bottles in the market next to where the tuna and other canned fishes are.
- Lemon Juice: freshly squeezed
- Worcestershire Sauce: adds a nice savory flavor.
- Hot Sauce: use any brand or type. Add as needed or desired.
- Celery Salt: adds a perfect hint of celery into the drink.
- Black Pepper: I love using coarse ground black pepper in this juice, but regular pepper works as well.
What is Clamato Juice used for?
- Micheladas
- Shrimp Cocktails
- Caesars cocktail
- Mexican Ceviche
Homemade Clamato Juice
Ingredients
- 2 cups tomato juice (457 ml)
- ½ cup clam juice (120 ml)
- 2 tsp worcestershire sauce (10 ml)
- 1 tsp hot sauce (5 ml)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (30 ml)
- ¼ tsp celery salt
- ½ tsp coarse black pepper
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a large measuring cup. Whisk together.
- Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. Stir before using.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I tried out your recipe with the intention of drinking it 1/2 and 1/2 with Negra Modelo. I found it too spicy. I cut the following ingredients in half: Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and black pepper, and tried again. This was much better for my intended use.
Why do I go to the trouble of hand mixing clamato juice if Clamato Brand juice is available at many grocery stores? Here’s why. The sixth ingredient is MSG, not a healthy additive. The seventh is citric acid, why not real lemon juice? It also contains ascorbic acid, apparently to maintain color. And the last ingredient is RED 40 (go figure).
So, my reaction to your recipe is that it is intended to be a sort of mixer for Shrimp Cocktails, Caesars Cocktails, and Ceviche. As for a 50%-50% Michelada I find you recipe too intense. It would seem to me that a single recipe can’t cover alt the bases.
Oh, while I had the lemon, I made zest and added it to the mix.
Thank you so much for your notes! I am happy you found a ratio of ingredients that works for you in the michelada 🙂
How about substituting V8 for tomato juice?
You can use that as a substitute, and just taste and adjust the other ingredients as needed.
Add water as needed too thin.
It should be ‘as needed to thin.”
Didn’t want you to have a typo on your site. = ]
Thank you for your kindness in pointing that out.
I used my juicer to juice fresh tomatoes and celery. I swapped clam juice for shrimp broth as I had shrimp shells in my freezer. Jus boiled em til pink as you would with the whole shrimp then strained the broth! Fantastic.
To make Limon Clamato juice would I just need to substitute lime juice for the lemon juice?
Thanks!
Yes, you can definitely make that swap.
Loved this!! Great recipe, I made my own tomato juice for it as well
I understand and appreciate using freh squeezed lemon/lime, but if unavailable how much “concentrate” should be used per batch of clamato?
Can this recipe be canned in a water bath?
I don’t have much experience with canning so I’m sorry I can’t help you.
Awesome recipe. I followed it to the letter and it’s perfect, tastes just like the clamato I’ve been buying. We wanted clamato without the sugar, for summer sipping. Love the recipe, it’s a keeper. Thanks for posting it.
I think the homemade recipe misses the mark by missing one important ingredient. Clamato has corn syrup. This perfectly balances the acid in the tomato juice. The addition of a small amount of any sweetner would do the trick.
Yours is the first recipe I found when searching for homemade clamato juice so I’m going to try it first!