Classic Bloody Mary cocktail recipe

For the first time I had to study so much information. No cocktail has ever taken me so long. Not surprising, because Bloody Mary, the recipe of which has changed over the course of almost a century, is covered with a whole string of legends and tales. Moreover, I was more interested not in the history of this famous cocktail, but in its literal translation, or rather slang meaning. The fact is that I already mentioned Bloody Mary in an article about legendary bartenders, and one of my readers (a certain Bad Guy) very colorfully supplemented the article about Ferdinand Pete Petio – he is the official author of the “anti-hangover” mixture. But first things first.

Bloody history of a bloody cocktail

It all started in 1921, when the aforementioned Pete Petio mixed vodka with a novelty in the food industry – packaged tomato juice. It happened in Paris, namely in the bar “Harry’s Bar” (Harry’s New York Bar). Pete called his creation “Bucket of Blood”, but this was not documented, even though the same “Harry’s Bar” regularly published cocktail collections. Pete himself spoke about Bloody Mary only in 1964, when he gave an interview to the New Yorker Magazine: inspired by the masterpiece of one of the New York bartenders, he decided to add various spices to his “bucket of blood”.

The real glory of the cocktail came in the 40s of the last century, when Bloody Mary began to be served in New York’s Stork Club, the very one in which Johnny Brooks, co-author of the legendary Martini cocktail, worked. Also, the cocktail appeared in the bar of the legendary Ritz Hotel, of which Hemingway himself was a regular – according to him, the Bloody Mary of the bartender Bertin, who worked behind the Ritz bar, was the best in the world (you can trust this drunkard).

There is another version that Mary was invented by George Jessel in New York (maybe this is the bartender who inspired Pete to exploits), but I found his name only on Wiki. I do not trust this information for the simple reason that the source is not indicated in it, and also because of the timing – George’s cocktail is listed as 1939. In general, who knows?

Who named Bloody Mary Bloody Mary

Pete originally called the cocktail “Blood Bucket”, we have already found out. How the modern name got accustomed to the drink is not known for certain. Many associate the drink with Mary Tudor (Queen Mary First of England), who was called “Bloody Mary” in 1557 for her atrocities against the Protestants.

Surprisingly, it is Mary Tudor who is credited with such a wonderful phenomenon as copyright. In the same 1557, she and her husband, King Philip II of Spain, established the Stationers’ Company, which later became the only printing house with the right to publish books in England – here’s the copyright (c). Along the way, Bloody Mary was involved in the political affairs of her husband and burned the Protestants, but that’s another story …

Another version is that grandfather Hem is guilty of everything, who named the cocktail in honor of his wife Mary (by the way, the fourth in a row). His wife did not like it when the writer returned from the Ritz under the wardrobe. Hemingway experimentally found out that the Bloody Mary cocktail perfectly masks the fume (take note).

Hem himself (I read this on the blog of the author of the wonderful book “The Bartender’s Bible”) wrote that in 1941 he brought the bloody Mary recipe to Hong Kong and thereby became an unwitting destroyer of the British colony (the same year Hong Kong was captured by the Japanese).

And now the most interesting. Pete Petio migrated from Paris to New York, getting a job as a bartender at the St. Regis Hotel. There he tried to rename the cocktail Red Snapper. Biologists use the word “Snapper” to call reef perches or Lutjanidae (hence Lucian). I don’t know who wanted to call the cocktail Red Snapper, but the name didn’t stick.

But… Snapper is also a slang word for the so-called “dead English”. It has a lot of meanings. It can be: a rude person, an angry dog, a caustic remark, a “point” in a card game, etc. According to the same Bad Guy, Snapper is also “knocked out teeth”, which is quite suitable for a bloody cocktail.

But since we have decided to move away from the canons and censorship, there is no turning back. Snapper was also used as an abusive word and literally translated as a female genital organ (remember: Red Snapper is “broken teeth”, but in fact, most likely there is the first meaning that Kirkorov rhymed with the word “star”). In general, whoever has a wild imagination, I would not recommend using it in this direction (they say, why is Snapper red, etc.). There are also taboo meanings of this word, for which the magazine can be scolded, so I categorically refuse to voice them. If you are interested, you can google.

Cocktail recipe Bloody Mary

• 45 ml of vodka;
• 90 ml of tomato juice;
• 15 ml of lemon fresh;
• 2-3 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
• Tabasco sauce to taste;
• celery or regular salt to taste;
• ground black pepper to taste.

Preparation:

• pour spices at the bottom of the highball and add sauces in the right amount;
• pour ice;
• pour in vodka and tomato juice;
• mix thoroughly and garnish with a sprig of celery, or a slice of lemon.

As you can see, the recipe is not so simple. For some reason, we consider Bloody Mary just a combination of juice and vodka – it turns out some kind of screwdriver. There are also especially “smart” bartenders who give out a shot in the form of vodka layered on tomato juice for Mary. Some nonsense. Meanwhile, respectable catering workers are trying to improve the cocktail, to make it more interesting from the point of view of gourmets. A properly prepared Bloody Mary is a real delicacy, an unsuccessful parody is a terrible brew.

A little more Bloody Mary gag

In the classic version (that is, according to the MBA recipe), Bloody Mary is supplemented with celery salt and a sprig of this very celery. In the same “Ritz” they completely refuse to use this ingredient. In principle, it is not in the original source, so you can safely miss the celery. As for the anti-hangover properties of the cocktail, there is nothing surprising here. Tomatoes contain a lot of vitamin C, and this is the best remedy for the breakdown products of alcohol. In general, if your head is bo-bo in the morning, drink Bloody Mary and you will be happy.

Oh yes, drink Mary quickly and do not spare ice when preparing it, since ice slows down the decomposition of some taste bonds (by the way, it has been proven by scientists). And do not spare money for good tomato juice, since it is he who sets the main line of taste – vodka is extinguished there by everyone, so its quality does not play a significant role.

That’s all. What do you say about this? Maybe there are comments and suggestions, or maybe cocktail variations? I will be grateful and thankful. Comment, read, subscribe to updates, put likes … Bye!

Traditionally, a video recipe (first the American version, then ours):