Jan. 26, 2022

A popular bloody mary mix made by a bar in the small town of Hudson is now available at liquor stores in Sioux Falls and other towns in the area.

Waddy’s Bar & Grill has installed a bottling line for the mix known as The Chief’s in a building that it bought last year. Production in the new site started at the beginning of the month, and Dakota Beverage began distributing the bottles last week.

“The goal is to get it in everybody’s hands,” said bar owner Adam “Waddy” Waterman.

The mix’s popularity has been growing for two decades. It all began when Waterman bought the bar in the town southeast of Canton along the Iowa border and started opening on Sundays. Longtime customer Larry “The Chief” Plendl said he had a good bloody mary mix and would work on Sundays and make the drinks for customers.

Plendl went from making one or two drinks at a time to putting the mix together by the gallon, and it just kept growing, Waterman said.

Larry “The Chief” Plendl and Adam “Waddy” Waterman

Eventually, the bar started bottling it by hand so customers could make drinks at home.

In 2020, Waddy’s sold 10,000 gallons of The Chief’s in the bar and to go, Waterman said. Last year, it added online sales and began shipping it across the country.

“People are excited,” Waterman said of the retail expansion. “It’s a lot more convenient for them to get.”

Dakota Beverage is distributing the mix across its territory in southeast South Dakota.

“Basically, every major liquor store in Sioux Falls has it, and we even have some gas stations that are carrying it,” said Jesse Johnson, a sales manager for the distributor. “It’s in a lot of small-town bars and gas stations too. Even places 100 miles away are carrying it.”

While it’s typically served with vodka, Johnson said he even likes it without adding alcohol.

“It’s almost like breakfast in a glass,” he said.

The fan base for The Chief’s is “just going to expand and expand,” Johnson said. “Even if you haven’t heard about it and you try it, you’re going to love it.”

The production line is running about four days a week, Waterman said.

“Basically, a batch takes us six hours start to finish. That ends up being about 120 cases, or about 700 bottles,” he said. The Chief’s comes in a plastic 1.75-liter bottle, and Waterman plans to add a 1-liter size in a couple of months.

“The Chief” is still there to mix every batch, Waterman said.

“He’s super excited and kind of beside himself that we’re going into retail.”

Get the inside story on how Waddy’s serves The Chief’s blood mary drinks in the bar in the article below. 

Waddy’s starts ramping up to take popular bloody mary mix into retail