Bloody Mary
The Bloody Mary stands alone in the cocktail World as it does not fit into any of the 36 categories we usually use to define a cocktail type. This is to say that there are not any other cocktails that I can think of that have a base spirit + savoury fruit/vegetable juice + spices + vegetables, and quite possibly for good reason.
The origins of the Bloody Mary like many cocktails is disputed, but the version of the story that makes the most sense to me is that it was invented in Paris in 1921 by Fernand Petiot. As a result of the Russian Revolution many Russian people flocked to France and brought Vodka with them.
Fernand Petiot was working the bar at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris where he claims to have first mixed vodka and tomato juice, in those days it was 50/50 vodka and tomato and was called a Red Snapper. Harry’s New York bar was a favoured hang-out for people like Humphrey Bogart and Ernest Hemingway among other big names so maybe it isn’t a great shock to see that during the prohibition years in America, an imported product called Tomato Juice Cocktail was sold in restaurants, or speakeasies.
Fernand Petiot was head-hunted and was soon working at 21 Club in New York where the two other alleged creators enter the story, and while it is impossible to know for sure who created the Bloody Mary what is evident today is that it has become a global household name.
Many people say that a Bloody Mary is a good cure for a hangover, of course, this is a personal choice as much as anything else, not everyone wants to start their day with alcohol no matter how uplifting the cocktail might be.
My advice when making a Bloody Mary is to keep it simple, I have seen some very complicated attempts at a BM down the years, and none of them are better than sticking to the basics.
60ml Vodka
120ml Tomato Juice
15ml Fresh Lemon Juice
8 drops of Tabasco Sauce (or equivalent)
4 Dash Worcestershire Sauce (A1 in the USA)
2 Grinds of Black Pepper
1 Pinch Celery Salt
Gently mix all ingredients in a shaker then pour into a Collins glass filled with ice, garnish with a celery stick.
