Celery Salt
A seasoning blend of salt and ground celery seed, classic for rimming a Bloody Mary glass.
Origin
A seasoning blend of ground celery seed and salt, developed in the 19th and 20th centuries as celery seed became a popular commercial spice.
History
Celery salt became a common pantry seasoning in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as ground celery seed, itself derived from wild celery's aromatic seeds, was blended with salt for convenience in cooking. Its best-known cocktail role is rimming a Bloody Mary glass or seasoning the drink itself, tying into that cocktail's savory, brunch-food-adjacent identity, which took shape through the mid-20th century.
Flavor profile
Salty with a distinct, slightly bitter, vegetal celery-seed aroma.
Tasting notes
Tastes like salt with a savory, herbaceous celery note layered on top, adding both seasoning and a specific vegetal aromatic that plain salt can't provide, especially useful on a Bloody Mary rim.
Substitutes
- A mix of celery seed and plain salt, made fresh, if pre-blended celery salt isn't on hand.
- Plain salt with a dash of celery bitters, for a similar effect within the drink itself rather than as a rim.
- Regular salt alone, if celery's specific flavor isn't essential to the recipe.
Common cocktails