Bloody Mary

An alcoholic cocktail containing vodka, tomato juice, spices and flavorings like Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, piri piri sauce, beef consommé or bouillon, horseradish, celery, olives, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, lemon juice and/or celery salt.

History

The name “Bloody Mary” is associated with a number of historical figures. However, the one story that seems most likely is that the name in English simply arose from “a failure to pronounce the Slav syllables of a drink called Vladimir”. From the observation that the customer at Harry’s Bar in Paris for whom Fernand Petiot prepared the drink in 1920 was Vladimir Smirnov, of the Smirnoff vodka family.

Fernand Petiot claimed to have invented the Bloody Mary in 1921, well before any of the later claims. He was working at the New York Bar in Paris at the time, which later became Harry’s New York Bar, a frequent Paris hangout for Ernest Hemingway and other American expatriates.

How to make one yourself

Ingredients:
2 ice cubes
vodka, double shot
½ lemon, juice only
6 dashes Worcestershire sauce
3 dashes Tabasco sauce
150ml/5fl oz tomato juice
pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:
• Place the ice into a tall glass and add the vodka.
• Add the lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce and tomato juice. Stir well.
• Adjust the seasoning, to taste, with salt and pepper and serve straightaway.