There are at least two creation myths for the Bloody Mary; one, that producer and song writer George Jessel created the first by adding vodka to his tomato juice in his apartment in Palm Beach in 1927. But in 1926 an American bartender named Fernand Petiot was working at Harry's New York Bar in Pairs, the exceedingly famous drinking hole favored by the likes of Hemingway and Fitzgerald, was mixing a cocktail made of equal parts of tomato juice and vodka. Later, in 1934, back in the U.S. in a real New York bar, the King Cole Bar at the St. Regis in New York, Petiot spiced up the drink, now known as the Bloody Mary despite the hotel's attempt to change it "Red Snapper," by adding cayenne pepper, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, lemon, and a big dash of Tabasco. It increases in popularity, rapidly. Then, in 1950, George Jessel takes out an ad in Collier's that assumes credit for inventing the drink. Then, on July 19, 1964, Petiot tells the New Yorker:
I initiated the Bloody Mary of today. George Jessel said he created it, but it was really nothing but vodka and tomato juice when I took it over. I cover the bottom of the shaker with four large dashes of salt, two dashes of black pepper, two dashes of cayenne pepper, and a layer of Worcestershire sauce; I then add a dash of lemon juice and some cracked ice, put in two ounces of vodka and two ounces of thick tomato juice, shake, strain, and pour.
That is, pretty much, the basic recipe for a Bloody Mary today. Who really created it? I don't know; I note that there's a time line here, and the Tabasco company's take here; you decide. Me, I rather strongly suspect that neither Jessel nor Petiot were the actual "inventor," but that more than one poor soul had turned to the basic combination of ingredients in a bloody Mary as a hair-of-the-dog hangover remedy the morning after.
Here's a more specific recipe
- Two highball glasses.
- 1oz. to 2 oz. decent vodka.
- 1 dash celery salt or kosher salt
- 1 to 3 shakes of ground black pepper
- 1 dash Tabasco
- 2–4 dashes of Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire sauce
- Dash of fresh lemon juice
- Add bottled tomato juice to the ice, until the glass is fairly full.
Either add the ingredients to a highball glass pre-filled with ice up to about an inch from the top, and pour it into an empty glass, then back to the ice filled glass to mix the ingredients, or, alternatively, use a shaker with ice and then strain over the highball glass filled with ice. Garnish to taste.
Now, let's stop there for just a moment and carefully consider garnish. Inarguably, one of the most important elements of a truly fabulous bloody mary is the garnish. The most basic garnish is the simple, classic: a celery stalk, with maybe a skewer of olives, and a wedge of lemon. There's absolutely no reason to be boring when you garnish your bloody mary, though, and very good reasons to show some creativity and panache when you're assembling "the salad" (what a friend of mine calls bloody mary garnishes, with particular relish [sic]) when you have a perfect chance to complement the zesty and savory nature of this drink. A particularly nice touch is to include pickled asparagus spears or spicy pickled green beans. You can use different varieties of olives, wedges of lemon and lime, or long spears of cucumber. The idea is to serve the bloody mary with what amounts to a small side-salad of garnish.
Keep in mind that a bloody mary is only as good as its ingredients, and that's particularly true of the vodka, and the tomato juice. I favor Gray Goose, Ketel One, or Three olives. Yes, you can make a decent bloody mary with other vodkas, but I'd rather drink something superior, than drink something that's simply "decent." The tomato juice really is better if it's been bottled rather than canned, and best still if it's from your juicer (with the seeds filtered out)—but don't forget you'll need a bit more salt if you juice your own tomatoes. I like to put the juice in the freezer for a few minutes to really chill it through. You might favor the spicy tomato juice rather than the plain, or even V8 or clamato juice. You might favor lime instead of lemon. Many people also like to add about an 1/8 of a teaspoon of plain grated horseradish (i.e. not the creamed sauce). Experimentation is key. Use the things you like best, and go lightly or leave out altogether the elements you don't care for. There's nothing subtle about a bloody mary; this is a drink that's all about an explosion of fresh, zesty flavors.
Traditionally, a bloody mary is a popular drink for brunches, frequently offered as a choice along with a mimosa. But they're awfully refreshing on a hot summer day, as well, and make a marvelous pre-dinner appetizer. It's a lovely complement to finger foods, like a veggie platter or peel-and-eat shrimp.