Happy New Year everyone! It’s about time we hit 2021. And after this sh*tshow of a year, it’s time to nurse that horrible hangover with something tangy and delicious.
The Bloody Mary has been known to be the best hangover cure. The hair of the dog. The antidote for the wine flu. That’s essentially why National Bloody Mary day is January 1st. Which is also National Hangover Day. No coincidences there!
So how did this drink come to be exactly? Well, like with most cocktails, there are a couple of famous stories surrounding its inception.
I’ll start with the story of Fernand “Pete” Petiot. As many bartenders did during the prohibition era, Pete was working in central Paris at Harry’s New York Bar when he came up with the base for the Bloody Mary. Ex-American Patriots would come to his bar requesting a savory drink. Pete concocted a muddled tomato and vodka drink for his patrons to enjoy while he was there. It was quite the hit, so when he moved back to New York and started working at the St. Regis in 1934, he perfected his recipe calling it the Red Snapper. Pete added spices and citrus to the mix. He wanted originally to name the drink the Bloody Mary after a regular who came to the bar several nights a week, but the owner of the hotel was against the name. Thus the Bloody Mary was born.
….well not so fast! Now we’ve got another story shared by famed comedian George Jessel who recounts his memory of creating the Bloody Mary one late night at the Palm Restaurant in Los Angeles in 1927. George and some buddies drank the night away and stayed at the restaurant into the daylight. As the sun came up, so did their hangovers. George decided to blend together some tomato juice and potato vodka, added some spices and then made some more drinks for his friends. When, all of a sudden, in walked Mary Warburton, a famous Los Angeles Socialite still dressed in her white gown from the night before. George mixed up his newly concocted drink and went to hand it to her. As she went to grab the drink, it slipped out of her hands and spilled all over her dress. Mary laughed and said, “Well George, now you can call me Bloody Mary!” And the name stuck.
Or, maybe it was a drink named after a popular waitress named Mary at the Chicago Bucket of Blood Saloon. Miss Bloody Mary worked at the Saloon and was well known by all of the regulars. Spicy, just like she, this drink only made sense to be named after her!
However, we must not forget the infamous Queen Mary Tudor of England known for her bloody reign. A very likely story to name a drink after her as well.
Many potential stories to follow and to cherish. Which will you choose?
And just like the many stories, there are many recipes to this drink. We’ll share with you our favorite way and hopefully you can make it after your next hangover:
The Bloody Mary
2oz Vodka
1/2oz Lemon Juice
4oz Tomato Juice
1/2oz Worcestershire
1tsp horseradish
4 dashes Hot Sauce
1 celery stick
salt & pepper to taste
Which story best suits you? Is it Queen Mary, or is it Ferdinand Petriot? Or maybe you enjoyed the story of George Jessel and Mary Warburton. It’s yours for the choosing.
Either way, enjoy this recipe. Welcome to 2021.
Cheers,
Amanda
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